Hidden Secrets
by DianneRose2016
Summary: Full summary inside. The Fellowship head to Gondor to fight for Middle Earth. Boromir is still alive and looking forward to seeing his brother. He never expected for The White City to be in the shape that it is in, nor did he expect to find that Faramir had many secrets that he has kept from him. Together they have to try ad fight in a war and deal with these secrets.
1. Chapter One

_**A/N: Okay I cannot believe that I am writing a Lord of the Rings story, I really can't. For those of you that follow my stories you know that I don't rant before I begin a story, I just write the summary and warnings so please excuse my rant here. **_

_**I don't know how well this story is going to be or where it will be going. Things in this story will differ from the books and the movies, but the end goal is the same. This really is all Orlando Bloom's fault. I had no interest in watching the Hobbit movies, I read the book when I was in Grade eight and hated it. So I never watched the first one, but then Orlando Bloom decided to be in the second one so I had to watch it, because it's freaking Orlando Bloom with long hair, need I say more. So you can't watch the second movie without seeing the first so I had to watch the first and then watched the second one right afterwards. That led to wanting to see the Lord of the Rings all over again with the extended scenes. Now here we are I'm searching the site and reading stories and now I have to write one. **_

_**For those that read my stories, I have a serious interest in characters with pasts and I love brothers. There is just something about Faramir that I love and have to write about. The way his father treats him and how Faramir and Boromir have a close relationship and there isn't any jealousy or hatred between them. So I have to write about Faramir.**_

_**So for this story some things will be different I want to get it all out now so if people don't like the difference in the story they don't have to read it from the start and hopefully no one will complain about it. Boromir is alive he survived his injuries from the arrows and he still tried to take the ring. Everything in the first movie happened and in the second movie happened the only difference is Boromir was alive to help in Helms Deep. Faramir let Sam and Frodo go, but his actions are that of the book where he doesn't take them to Gondor to hand the ring over. I don't believe that Faramir would try to take the ring especially after hearing that Boromir tried. The character seems more noble and has a strong will and belief in right and wrong like Aragorn. I also think it shows just how different the brothers are. It also shows how Boromir is more like his father in his interest in glory and power and how Faramir is more like his mother with a more intellectual side and no desire for glory or power. **_

_**I am going to try my best to get the characters down and most importantly the old**_ _**language. I ask that you bare-with me while I get the language and wording down, I am welcomed to people helping me out with the language in a constructive way. This is a new territory to me and I'm not sure how well it will go over.**_

_**Summary: So this story is going to be focused on Faramir and Gondor. The fellowship is still in Rohan after their victory. Faramir has to go back to the city to face his father once his father got word of his actions in letting the ring go. The fellowship decide they will head to Gondor because they know that Sauron will attack there next, especially with it being so close to Mordor. Theoden is staying in Rohan to build up the army before they come to Gondor to help them fight the war. I am going to have it so there is a larger time in between Helms Deep and the final battle in Gondor so there is more to this story. The time in between will be more than a week and a bit, for my story it will be a couple of months with smaller battles building up to the big final battle. I'm also going to make it so that Faramir is only twenty-five in my story and Boromir is thirty. I want Faramir a little younger and only holding seven years' experience to make him seem younger in the field than Boromir as well. **_

_**Hopefully this goes over well and people don't crucify me for this. There will be mentions of torture, violence and past child abuse. There won't be any slash at all in this and I don't even know if there will be any romance in this at all.**_

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Chapter One

Aragorn along with his fellowship were back in Rohan celebrating their victory at Helms Deep with King Théoden and his men. It was a hard battle, but Gandalf had arrived just in time with Eomer and his men to save them from destruction and death. Now they were all back together at King Théoden's throne room celebrating their victories. Merry and Pippin had managed to destroy Isengard, so today was a good day for Middle Earth. No one had heard about Frodo or the ring, but for now they would listen to their hearts and think positively. If they hadn't heard about either Frodo or the ring then that might mean that they were still alive and had not been captured. With the destruction of Isengard and their victory at Helms Deep they were all certain that Sauron was beyond furious at his loses. He would strike hard and when he does he will make sure it is where it will hurt them the worst. Tonight was for celebration, but tomorrow it would be about planning their next step. Aragon couldn't bring himself to relax though, he knew that he should be celebrating, but he couldn't help, but feel like it was just one battle against many in this war. They didn't know where Sauron was going to attack next, but Aragon had a good idea that it would be Gondor. Gondor was the last true kingdom of men. It was also practically in Mordor's backyard. It wouldn't take long for Sauron to send his armies to attack Gondor from all sides. Aragon was certain that once Sauron had a large enough number in his army he would begin his strike on Gondor. Aragon knew it was supposed to be his kingdom, but he couldn't get passed that fear in him. He did let Frodo go when Boromir could not, but that didn't mean he would be able to lead a kingdom. Even if he did survive the final battle and they had won, Aragon didn't know how to run a kingdom. He didn't know how Gondor and its people would even react to him being there. There was also the Steward that would be a problem in itself. He didn't know much about Denethor other than he would not weakly give up his throne and title. Aragon knew that Denethor couldn't deny his return, but that didn't mean he would willingly give it up either. It could cause a civil war to break out in Gondor if the worst case scenario happened. Aragon also didn't know how Boromir felt about him returning to the throne. Technically it was Boromir's to take over once his father died or stepped down. Aragon knew he would need to speak with Boromir to see how he even felt about his return to Gondor. Aragon knew it was his birthright and he didn't need to consult with anyone. In the end it was his decision and his right to take the throne to Gondor. That didn't mean he wouldn't speak with Boromir first and see how he would react to it. If he could get Boromir on his side and support his return, then Gondor might not react poorly to it.

Aragon looked around the room and saw Merry and Pippin singing on a table with a group of men drinking and smiling up at them. Hobbits always did know how to have a good time. He looked over at another table and saw Eomer with a shocked look on his face as Legolas and Gimli were having a drinking game. Aragon could see Gimli completely drunk and barely staying awake while Legolas looked completely sober. Aragon could understand the look of shock on Eomer face. Elves were not easily intoxicated. In order for Legolas to get truly drunk he would need to drink easily a barrel full of ale before he even got close to passing out. Elves were special creatures and many were envious of their abilities. There had been many times in Aragorn's life, even on this journey that he wished could possess some of Legolas' skills. Even the simple fact of walking on top of snow instead of buried under it. Aragorn loved the Elves and he would never allow any hatred to come from the occasional envy.

Aragon turned to see Gandalf watching Merry and Pippin dancing and singing another song on the same table. He also then saw Boromir speaking with a few of the Rohirian men. He had been drinking, but not too much, just enough to make him louder than normal. Boromir was a man of confidence in himself and in his skills. Aragorn found himself wondering about what Boromir's brother would be like. Aragorn knew that Boromir had a younger brother, but he didn't know his name or anything about him. All he knew was that his brother had a dream that led Boromir to Rivendell. Aragorn wondered if his brother would be confident like Boromir was and if they even got along. Aragorn walked over across the room to speak with Boromir. As he walked up to Boromir, Boromir smiled at Aragorn and welcomed him by putting his arm around Aragorn's shoulders.

"Now this is indeed a celebration for a well-deserved victory." Boromir said with a huge smile on his face.

"We still have a long way to go my friend." Aragorn said with a smile back.

"You need to learn to celebrate the victories in life no matter how small or big my friend." Boromir said with a smile as he moved his hand off from Aragorn's shoulders.

"It is indeed a victory for Middle Earth." Aragorn said with a smile. "I was wishing to speak to you for a moment." Aragorn added.

"Of course. Come let us go outside for some fresh air and quiet."

Boromir and Aragorn headed outside into the night. The stars were blanketing the sky and the moon gave light to the earth. Once outside they could no longer hear the cheering and chatter of men. They didn't have to speak loudly just to be heard over the others.

"What is troubling you my friend? You should be celebrating this victory, not troubled by thoughts." Boromir said.

"It is hard to celebrate when Sauron will just strike another target. There is much to discuss tomorrow and to plan."

"Though that is not what is troubling you." Boromir said as he leaned his back against one of the railings outside.

"No it is not. At some point we will end up in Gondor. I fear that Gondor is where this final battle will take place. Eighty-seven years I have feared and avoided my birthright and now I must return to the city where I am supposed to rule. There are many questions, many unknowns. The further into this war we get the more it troubles me." Aragorn answered honestly.

"The most important question is simple, do you want the crown?" Boromir asked in a simple voice. There was no anger or disgust in his voice and Aragorn took that as a good sign.

"I do not know how to rule or run a kingdom. I have not been to Gondor in decades, not since your father first took over. Not only that you know your father would not willingly stand down. That could cause a civil war in a city that is already weak from this war."

"Those are all excuses and not an answer. At the end of the day, do you want to be king?"

"I never used to, but more recently I feel like I do wish to be king. I think it would be good for the world of men to have a king to return to the throne. I have made many allies in this world and those allies would become Gondor's allies. I am not young anymore. Maybe this war and journey has changed me or maybe just simply my age, but I do believe I do want to be king of Gondor." Aragorn said as he worked it out in his head. It felt good to be saying it out loud. It was helping to get his thoughts in order.

Boromir smiled at Aragorn before he spoke.

"Well then my King that is all that matters. If you wish to take the throne then take it. Just do so knowing that it might not be as simple as walking through the white gates."

"Your father will not want to step down, you know this. I do not wish to cause any more war in the city."

"Everything will work itself out in the end. My father will not want to step down, but he also does not have the right to deny you your throne. I will not lie and say it will be easy, it will not be. You will need to learn how to run Gondor, see what you would like to change and what you would like to keep. You may wish for a new council to be appointed. It will not be easy at first, but you will figure it out and I will be happy to help and support you."

"Are you sure? I would be taking your place after all."

"Being king was never my place my friend. Besides I have no desire to sit at a throne all day. I enjoy being the General to the army of Gondor. I am a soldier and a fighter sitting in a chair all day would not be something I would enjoy. Faramir on the other hand probably would have enjoyed every minute of it." Boromir said with a smile.

"Faramir is your younger brother?"

"He is."

"How old is he?"

"He is only twenty-five. He is ten years younger than I am. He is a Captain of Gondor, he only has to follow mine or our father's orders."

"That is a lot of responsibility for someone that young."

"It is, but my father expects nothing less."

"So Faramir would wish to be Steward of Gondor?"

"I am honestly not sure what his wishes are. I should know, but it is not something we have discussed. We both always knew I was the heir to Gondor, our father made that very clear to us both. I do not know what his heart desires. I do know that his heart does not desire to be a part of war. He does not have a desire to be a soldier."

"Yet he is. Why is he a soldier, a Captain, if his heart does not desire it?"

"Because that is how our father is. Faramir does not have the choice. He's more of a Ranger than a solider. He has amazing skills with a bow. He is not a fighter, but he will do everything he can to protect his men and make sure they have the best chance of survival. He does not wish to be a solider, but he does do his best none the less."

"Would he have a problem if I did return?"

"Not in the least. He has always wished for the return of the king ever since he was little. He always hoped it would happen in his life time. He would not fight you for the throne at all. I do have one request though."

"Which would be?"

"When we do return to Gondor, if the war is still going on, I would request that you keep it a secret from Faramir who you truly are."

"Why?"

"He does not do well with men in power. I do not want him to fear you based on your title. I would like him to know you first, so he sees that you mean no harm."

"I can grant you that request, but that does bring up other questions."

"Faramir is not like me. He has no heart for war or violence. If he could he would spend his days in the library curled up on the couch reading. He has always been the intelligent one out of the two of us. He can speak three languages including Elvish that Gandalf taught him when he was younger. He is shy and timid and he has not had the best experiences with men in power. It has been harder on him with having my father as Steward than I. I see that you are a good man, a man that can be trusted, but Faramir will only see that you are a man of power and that will make him more timid and fearful of you. I do not wish for that to happen. I do not want him to fear his own king. If he gets to know you first then I am hopeful that he will not fear you once you take the throne."

"I understand and I will keep that part a secret. I do not know how long it will be kept, but it will not be broken by me my brother."

"Thank-you brother. Now come, you have not had nearly enough ale tonight. We will worry about troubling problems tomorrow." Boromir said with a smile.

Aragorn smiled back and he allowed Boromir to put his arm around his shoulders once again and guided him back inside. Aragorn did feel better now that he knew how Boromir felt, but he did still worry about Faramir. He had never met Faramir and he didn't know how he was going to be around him. What Boromir said about Faramir only brought up more questions that Aragorn had about him. Why did Faramir have a fear of men in power? Why was he so shy and timid when Boromir was the opposite? Yes Aragorn understood that siblings were different and they were not identical, but still some traits were still there. It sounded like Boromir and Faramir were completely opposite of each other. Aragorn found himself to be curious about Faramir and he knew he would need to go looking for more answers another night. For now he would enjoy this victory and the company of men that he had fought beside. Tomorrow they would met and go over a new plan of attack.

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The next morning Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas, Boromir, Eomer and Eowyn were all in the throne room speaking with King Théoden about what their next move should be. It wasn't a heated discussion thankfully. They had all become friends after their battle at Helms Deep and now they were all acting like allies of Middle Earth.

"How can we be sure that Sauron won't try and attack Rohan again?" Eomer asked.

"There would not be a point. He has already suffered a defeat by Rohan. With Isengard destroyed and being run by Tree Beard he has no Orcs. There would not be a point in sending his Orcs from Mordor all the way out here." Aragorn said.

"How does anyone figure out where Sauron will attack next though? Surely, there are many different options for him." Eowyn said.

"It is Gondor that will suffer the true power of Sauron first. They will need our help. It will be Gondor that the fate of the world will be decided." Gandalf said.

"Are you certain that Sauron would attack there first?" Eomer asked.

"Gondor is the closest to Mordor. If Sauron wanted to strike the world of men with his full power, Gondor is the first city of men that his Orcs will come across. We have been fighting back herds of Orcs for a couple years now. Sauron has aligned himself with other villages of men that have grudges against Gondor. While the world has been at peace, Gondor has been fighting war after war for the least ten years." Boromir answered.

"How strong is Gondor after all of these years of war?" Théoden asked.

"Gondor has had some damage done to it, but it is still holding strong. I have not been there in a year, but when I left I did leave on the eve of victory. We had just taken back Osgiliath." Boromir said.

"How many soldiers does Gondor have?" Eomer asked.

"Six thousand in the whole kingdom of Gondor. They are spread out amongst different villages within Gondor." Boromir answered.

"How many villages are within Gondor?" Legolas asked.

"Nine major cities and twelve regions throughout the kingdom realm. Some of those regions are just farmlands that we use as harvest to feed the cities. Minas Tirith is where the Steward lives and is the largest city we have. Osgiliath used to be our kingdom's capital, but it has long been ruined and abandoned due to the Orcs that had taken over the city. We had just taken the city back when I left for Rivendell." Boromir said.

"What about Ithilien? What has become of it?" Aragorn asked.

"It has been abandoned and taken over by Mordor. My brother, Faramir, we there with a group of Rangers to try and kill some of the men that travel through there that are loyal to Sauron. We knew he would not be able to kill them all and eliminate that threat, but he and his men have been able to disrupt the supply lines. I am not sure what has become of any of Gondor since I have left. Before I left I did pull Faramir and his Ranger out of Ithilien to help take Osgiliath back. He was still there when I left." Boromir answered.

"It seems that Sauron is setting up the pieces to take Gondor." Théoden said.

"Sauron has been slowly working on taking over Gondor. Now that word has reached him about Aragorn he seems to be focusing more now on Gondor than before. I fear that Sauron will strike even harder on Gondor after this defeat. He will not risk the return of the king, for it could align the world of men. Gondor is where our focus needs to be. We need to see what state it is in and get it ready for this war. Sauron will strike it hard. We cannot wait for the beckons to be lit. We must ride out for Gondor." Gandalf said.

"We will need more than six thousand men to withstand the strength of Mordor." Eomer said.

"And we shall find some. I will send out riders to gather men all over this country. I will set up a meeting place for all the men to meet. I will go and meet them and get the men in order while you can go to Gondor to help prepare Gondor for this battle." Théoden said.

"I need to go to Gondor to see just what state it is in. I would also like to see my brother and make sure he is well." Boromir said.

"Are we sure Aragorn going would be a wise decision?" Gimli said.

"If we keep quiet about who Aragorn is then I see no problem with his coming. We do not need to start a civil war with the Steward right now." Gandalf answered.

"I agree. I would not deny Aragorn his birthright, but I do not think now would be the right time for that to happen. I do not know how many of the soldiers would standby Aragorn at the moment." Boromir added.

"I do not need to make claim of the throne. All I wish to do is win this war and save Middle Earth from the darkness. I will worry about the rest afterwards." Aragorn said.

"Then we ride for Gondor then?" Pippin asked. Him and Merry had been quiet this whole time just allowing the others to speak. For them it didn't matter where they went really. They were there to help in any way that they could, but they weren't fighters or soldiers. This wasn't up to them, they were just going along with them because it was what was right. They weren't going to sit by and not fight while Frodo and Sam were off trying to get to Mordor.

"We ride for Gondor. It's a three days journey from here." Gandalf said.

"Eomer, I would like for you to go with them. Eowyn, you can travel with me to help get the men ready. How long do you think we will have before Gondor becomes under attack?" Théoden asked Boromir.

"I am not sure. It will depend on what state Gondor is in. When we arrive I can send a messenger to you so you will know what state Gondor is in. When I left we were in good standings. We were still getting attacked by Orcs and men loyal to Sauron, but we had control over ninety percent of the kingdom. I hope that is still true." Boromir answered.

"Is your brother not good with planning and war?" Legolas asked.

"Faramir is very intelligent and has good instincts. The men are loyal to him and they will follow him into battle without thought. Faramir would not let the defense fall. I have worked hard for seventeen years to keep the defense strong and Gondor safe. He would not let the hard work be for nothing." Boromir said with a dead serious tone.

"We need to prepare to leave as soon as possible. The sooner we know more of Gondor's condition the better. As hopeful as you are Boromir it has been a year since you have been to Gondor. There is no telling what Mordor has done with Gondor since you have been gone." Gandalf said.

"I know my father and my brother would not let Gondor fall." Boromir said in a serious voice.

"How soon will we be able to leave?" Aragorn asked.

"Within the hour. We just need to prepare the horses for the travel." Eomer answered.

"Prepared the horses and I will get some men sent out to start sending the word out for men." Théoden said.

Everyone started to leave the throne room to get ready for the three day travel to Minas Tirith. Boromir was excited to see his city and his family once again. It had been a long year and he had missed Faramir. He hated having to leave him alone with his father. Boromir had no idea just how bad the relationship between Faramir and Denethor was. Faramir had kept a lot from Boromir because of fear of how Boromir would react to the information and knowing that he couldn't do anything to fix it. Their father was the Steward and what he said was law so telling Boromir wouldn't have changed anything, he wouldn't have been able to go against their father without getting hurt himself. Boromir was looking forward to seeing Faramir and trading stories about the last year.

Aragorn headed towards the stables to get his horse ready. He wanted to speak to Gandalf first though. The conversation last night about Faramir was still in Aragorn's mind and he found that he had more questions about a man that he had never met. Aragorn found Gandalf just outside of the stables and he went up to him.

"A word?" Aragorn asked softly as he looked around to make sure no one was around.

Gandalf just gave a nod and he started to walk away from the stables over to one of the benches away from any listening ears.

"Something troubling you?" Gandalf asked calmly.

"Last night I spoke with Boromir about how he would feel if I took the throne."

"I'm assuming he was not pleased with the idea."

"No, actually he was supportive of the idea."

"Well that is surprising. If it is not that, then what is troubling you?"

"He requested that I keep the truth about who I was a secret from his brother Faramir, until he knows me first."

"Hm" Gandalf said in a deep thought.

"He told me that Faramir has a fear of men in high power and that he wished for Faramir to know me first so he does not fear me. I find that troubling."

"Hm" Gandalf said once again.

"You obviously know something that I do not."

"Why do you find that troubling? That Faramir has a fear of men in power?"

"I am not sure. Here is a man that I have never met, yet I find him interesting and I am curious. Boromir is very confident and sure of himself. From what very little I got from Boromir, Faramir is shy and timid and he fears men in power. Yet his father is the Steward so he should not fear men in power. You have been in Gondor before; have you ever seen Faramir when he was younger?"

"Oh yes. The first time I saw young Faramir was when he was four. Very sweet boy, very shy. I found him in the library reading a book that I was shocked to see him reading. The book was at a much higher reading level then his age, yet he was able to read and understand it. When I saw him I knew there was something special about him. I knew he would do great things. He used to love my stories about the cities I have been to. I would talk to him for hours when I was in Minas Tirith. It was very sad when his mother died when he was just five. He was very close to her and was very hurt by it as any child would be. I tried to be around more for him, stayed closer to the realm of Gondor. I checked in on him when I could. His father did not approve of it. He started to call Faramir a Wizard pupil. His father and I have never gotten along."

"Not that that has ever stopped you before." Aragorn said with a smirk.

"No, no it has not." Gandalf smiled back.

"What was Faramir like when he was older?"

"He was still shy and timid. I had thought he would have grown out of it, but he did not. Whereas Boromir is loud and confident, Faramir is not. Faramir would prefer to be out of the spotlight and off by himself. He prefers quiet areas and less of a crowd. Boromir prefers to party and be loud with crowds. They are very opposite, but very close. Boromir has always done his best with the knowledge that he has to protect Faramir from anyone. Their father has always favored Boromir over Faramir for his own reasons that are not justified in my opinion. Even still there is no jealousy or hatred between the two brothers. His father's treatment of Faramir has made him cling more to Boromir."

"What has his father's treatment been like with Faramir?"

"The Steward loves Boromir and praises him. He makes sure everyone knows that Boromir is his son and his heir to the throne. In his eyes Boromir can do no wrong and he would never do or say anything to hurt Boromir. With Faramir it is the exact opposite I am afraid. His words towards Faramir are poison and have done nothing to help his confidence and self-worth. His father has made it very clear to Faramir that he does not love him or even care what happens to him. I do not know everything and there is even more that Boromir does not know. Faramir keeps quiet about everything his father has said or done to him. I do know that Faramir was never meant to be a solider. His soul is too pure. He has a kindred soul, much like yourself. He is very gentle and if given the choice he would never hurt anyone. He once told me that when he has to kill a man he feels evil. He cannot help, but wonder if that man was a family, if he was truly evil hearted or simply following orders of his commander. He understands that it is a kill or be killed situation, but that does not make it any easier for him. He is not a man born for war and if he had been given the chance he would never have been a soldier. He does it to please his father, but his father is blind to him. There is nothing that Faramir could do to please his father. Even if Faramir single handily killed Sauron himself, his father would still find a reason to belittle and humiliate him." Gandalf said sadly.

"Where is Boromir in all of this? If they are so close why is he letting his father treat Faramir like this?" Aragorn said with a slight anger towards Denethor.

"Boromir only knows what Faramir is willing to share. If Boromir knew everything that I knew or that Faramir would tell, then he would not follow his father. I do not know if either of them would be in Gondor if Boromir knew the whole truth. I believe that is why Faramir has always kept quiet. He does not want to cause pain to his brother. There is also fear there, of how Boromir would react to the information. Faramir is so used to being alone and handling everything on his own that the thought of even Boromir defending him against Denethor does not cross his mind. Faramir just wants his father's love, it is quite sad."

"That is sad. A son should know what the love of his father feels like. Do you think Faramir would give a fight if I was to take the throne?"

"Faramir is not like Denethor or Boromir. He does not care for glory or power. Faramir would make a fine Steward and leader. His men follow him without thought. The people of Gondor love him and trust him. Faramir is down to earth. He does not care for luxury or the finer things in life. He gives everything he can to the people on the lower levels of Minas Tirith. He will not get in the way of your return you need not worry about that. I will give a bit of council though if I may."

"Of course"

"If you are to assign a new Steward to take your place should something happen, I would choose Faramir over anyone else. He has a destiny about him. You are the king and Faramir is as close to a king as one can get. He was meant to be a leader and with him at your side the two of you will be able to restore all of Gondor to its glory. Leave Boromir to do what he does best and that is to fight. Faramir is intelligent, too intelligent to be left out in the field. He would be able to show you how to run a kingdom and with him by your side the people of Gondor will follow you."

"You care about him. It is not often that you care for someone, he must be one hell of a man to gain your heart."

"He is a very rare man with a kindred soul. You will see what I mean when you meet him. He could have very well been your son in another life. Have patience with him he will fear you at first, but he will learn to warm up to you and trust you. He will just need time."

"I am in no hurry. I am now more curious to meet him."

"He is a very good man who has been through a lot in his short life. He will need time to move passed everything that has happened. I do fear that he will not be able to overcome this war. Faramir is not a man for war."

"He has survived this long. With the help of his brother, I am certain he will pull through."

"I hope so. It would pain me to lose him."

"All wounds heal with time. With his brother there with him I am sure Faramir will be able to start to heal from this. Boromir seems excited to be going back to Gondor and back to Faramir."

"Boromir loves Faramir and he worries about him when he is away. Boromir has always loved Faramir more than anyone else in this world. It would not end well if Boromir found out everything that Faramir has been hiding. It is not just your return that could cause a civil war in Gondor."

"You fear what state Faramir will be in for it could cause a rift between Boromir and his father."

"I do fear that. There are things that I do not even know that has happened between Faramir and Denethor. There is even more things that Boromir does not know. Faramir is surrounded by walls that he has built in order to continue on each day. I fear that with Boromir not being there this past year Denethor has not held back. All it will take is one crack in Faramir's walls and all of the truth will come out. If there is a crack just seeing Boromir might be enough to open the floods. Gondor will not be strong enough to handle a civil war especially at this time. We need to get to Gondor as soon as we can. I fear Faramir needs help on more than one level."

"Let us ride then. It is a three day journey to Minas Tirith and we will not get there any faster sitting around here. There will be a time to wonder and plan for a return to the throne. For now we must focus on the survival of Gondor and Middle Earth." Aragorn said as he stood up.

Gandalf stood up as well and together they made their way back to the stables to head out for Gondor. None of them even knew what state Gondor would be in and Boromir was anxious to get home to see his brother for the first time in a year.


	2. Chapter Two

_**A/N: This chapter has mentions of past violence and very brief light torture. Other than that nothing to worry about. Positive feedback is welcomes and encouraged as I have never done something in this category before.**_

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Chapter Two

It had been three days since the fellowship had left Rohan and they had finally arrived in Gondor. They had been traveling for three days almost straight through. Merry was riding in front of Aragorn and Pippin was riding in front of Gandalf. They had been rotating the Hobbits around as they had traveled. They had only stopped for an hour here and there to eat and to rest. They needed to get to Gondor to see what state it was in and if they needed help. For all they knew Gondor was in ruins and no one was left alive. They could be walking into peace or into a war. Any delay could cost soldiers their life. Boromir was getting more anxious as they got closer to Minas Tirith. He so desperately wanted to see his younger brother's smiling face at his return. They had arrived at the white gates just three hours after sunrise and Boromir couldn't help the smile that graced his face.

"Wow, this is a big city." Pippin said as he looked at Minas Tirith in awe.

"There are ten levels to Minas Tirith. The higher the level the more wealthy you are. The Steward and his heirs live on the top level. In the past there have been problems with the lower levels feeling angry at the upper levels. A hundred years ago a past Steward was able to repair the rift between the levels and now there has been an even flow of food and supplies between the levels." Gandalf said.

"Gondor is at peace. Even with the war raging on everyone has come together to help the city. The other regions with the farmlands have been able to harvest more food for the other regions and major cities that have not been able to keep up with the demand. We have worked very hard for it and to keep it going." Boromir said.

"It appears that there is life in the city. It appears that Minas Tirith is not at war right now." Eomer said.

"It appears that way. Come let us see what the city holds." Gandalf said.

They went up to the white gate and it opened as they approached. As they galloped through the gates Boromir could see some of the watchmen at their posts and they gave him a nod as he galloped through. Beregond came down the path from the first level on his horse. Boromir smiled at seeing his brother's guard.

"Beregond, it is good to see you my friend." Boromir said with a big smile.

Beregond did not look happy though, even with the return of Boromir their General.

"My Lord Boromir there is an urgent matter that I must speak to you about, privately." Beregond said as he eyed his company. Beregond knew about Gandalf, but he did not know the others and he knew they were not men of Gondor.

"What is wrong Beregond? Is it Osgiliath?"

"No my Lord, it is Captain Faramir." Beregond said with sorrow.

"No, please do not tell me my brother is dead." Boromir said with fear to his voice.

"No my Lord he is not dead, at least I do not think. We really must speak privately my Lord."

"These men are with me. We are here to fight in this war together and have been for close to six months now. They will only hear what you tell me from me afterwards. You might as well tell us all together now. Where is my brother?" Boromir said in a serious voice.

"I do not know my Lord. He has been missing for a week now." Beregond said with a heavy heart.

"Beregond, you are my brother's personal guard. You are his right hand man. Your whole job is to know where he is. You go everywhere with him when he is not in the city. It has been that way since he was nineteen and became a Ranger. How can he be missing?" Boromir snapped.

Beregond did not take it personally he knew that Boromir would be angered by this information. Everyone was. Beregond and the other Rangers had been searching the city for the past week just trying to find him, but they had not been able to.

"Beregond, tell us everything you know." Gandalf said.

"Two weeks ago we had gotten word that a small army of men where passing through Ithilien with Elephants. They had plans to attack Minas Tirith with the Orcs that were trying to break through Osgiliath. Captain Faramir made the decision to go with a group of twenty Rangers to Ithilien and to bring down the small army. We were successful. Although, we did come upon three small creatures who we thought were to be spies. As it turns out it was two Hobbits and a gangly creature named Gollum."

"Frodo and Sam. You've seen them?" Pippin asked with hope to his voice.

"We did. We did not know at the time who they were, but Captain Faramir was able to determine that they were the ones carrying the enemy's power. As you know your father has made it law that this mighty gift was to be brought to him. Anyone who goes against this law their life with be forfeit. I tried my best to convince your brother that he must obey your father. He could not go against his ruling without you here to protect him from Lord Denethor. He would not listen to me or to his men. We brought them to Osgiliath. Captain Faramir wanted to at least give them a safe passage to the other side of the river. He gave them food and water. He then showed them the sewer tunnel that leads under the river and comes out into the forest. He let them go; he did not even try to take the ring. To be honest my Lord, I had the feeling that should you had been here he would have went with them. We could all tell that he wished he could have done more for them. He could have gone to protect them."

"And I would have let him. If it was something he felt he needed to do, I would have let him. If you have not seen him in a week, maybe he went after them after all. Did my father know of this?"

"When we reached Osgiliath a messenger was sent by another Captain to your father. After a day had passed and no one brought Lord Denethor the ring he sent a messenger for Captain Faramir to come and speak to him. Your brother left a week ago and no one has seen him since. We know he has not left the city, but we cannot find him anywhere. All of his Rangers have searched the city even the cells, but we have not been able to find him. Your father won't speak to any of us and his personal guards are refusing to allow any of us to even question anyone near the tower or working within." Beregond said.

"Are you sure no one has seen him leave? Is the gate the only way in and out of the city?" Aragorn asked.

"It is the only way and no one has seen him leave. All of the horses are accounted for as well. He is in this city somewhere; if he is not already dead I am afraid." Beregond said sadly.

"He is not dead, he cannot be dead." Boromir said softly to himself before he addressed Beregond. "Did you check the Steward's cells?"

"My Lord?" Beregond asked with confusion on his face.

"In the tower there are five cells used to hold the most dangerous criminals. Those that perform treason by telling our enemies vital information about Gondor's defenses. They are kept there for questioning before execution." Boromir explained.

"I did not know such place existed. We have checked all over this city, perhaps Captain Faramir is there." Beregond said with a slight hope to his voice.

Without saying anything Boromir took off at a gallop towards the upper levels. Everyone followed behind him, all hoping to find Faramir there and in good health. Boromir didn't know what to think. Part of him was wishing that Faramir was there in one of those cells and the other part was wishing he wasn't. If Faramir was in one of those cells it was because his father ordered it. Boromir didn't know how to even go through his emotions at the thought that his father would order Faramir to be held in a cell. Faramir did the right thing by letting Frodo and Sam go. Something that he could not do himself. Faramir had the stronger mind and he was constantly proving that, but his father refused to see it. Boromir didn't expect the city to be the same as it was when he left a year ago, but he was hoping that with him being away that Faramir and his father would have been able to get closer with his absence. Now Boromir feared that he left his younger brother at the mercy of his father.

"Gandalf, I don't understand. I thought Faramir was Boromir's younger brother." Pippin said softly to Gandalf.

"He is."

"Then why would he be in a cell for letting Frodo and Sam go?"

"Because the Steward's mind is weak and clouded by the need for power. He loves Boromir and shows it at every chance he gets. With Faramir it is opposite. I would not put it above him to have Faramir kept locked away in a cell."

"The world of men is so confusing. In the Shire if a Hobbit does something wrong they are made to do the dishes or worse sent to bed without supper. We have no need for cells and locked rooms."

"Yes if the world took a page or two from Hobbits the world of men would be more at peace. Perhaps when Aragorn is King you can have a word with him." Gandalf said with a smile.

"At least we know Frodo and Sam are still alive. That's something."

"Yes it is."

They all galloped through the streets and up the ramps to the different levels in the city. They finally reached the top level, level ten, and Boromir continued to lead the way over to the side of the mountain. There was an alleyway that was between the tower and the mountain, not big enough for a horse, just big enough for men to fit through. They all got off their horse and Boromir walked quickly down the alleyway with everyone following behind him. He used his key that he had; only he and his father had a key. The only reason he did have one was in case he came upon a traitor and his father was not there to give him the key. Boromir opened the door to reveal a long dark tunnel. The tunnel was lit by a few torches that were hanging on the tunnel walls. As they walked down the hallway they saw cells that were empty. After they walked by the fifth one everyone thought that Faramir was not here, but Boromir kept walking.

"There is an interrogation room just at the end of the hallway." He explained.

They continued to walk the rest of the way down the hallway and when they reached the end Boromir opened the door to the unlocked room. As he walked in his blood ran cold. There were three of his father's personal guards in the room. There was also a man that had both arms spread out over his head with his wrists in shackles that came from the ceiling. He was on his knees in torn and dirty clothes. There was blood all over the clothes as well as dirt. The man had been clearly whipped and beaten. Boromir knew who this man was, it was his younger brother. He knew without seeing his face that it was Faramir. A guard held a dirty cloth over his face and had his head pulled back. Another was pouring water over the cloth, drowning his brother, a torture method that had been used in the past. Boromir saw red as he went into the room and grabbed the man's wrist that was pouring water over his brother's face. He twisted the wrist and didn't stop until he heard the snapping of bone. The guard screamed in pain and Boromir punched him on the jaw with all of his strength, knocking the man out. He turned to see that Aragorn and Legolas had knocked out the other two. Boromir started to search through the man's pockets to find a key to the shackles, but he was unable to.

"I found a key." Legolas said as he stood to try the key on the shackles.

Boromir thought he might cry in joy when Faramir's left wrist was free from the shackle. Boromir held onto Faramir as Legolas unlocked the shackle holding Faramir's right wrist. Once Faramir was free Boromir placed Faramir on the ground on his back. To his horror he noticed that Faramir was not breathing.

"He is not breathing." Boromir said with panic to his voice.

"It is water in his lungs." Eomer said as he bent down next to Faramir.

Eomer began chest compressions on Faramir to try and get the water out of his lungs. After a few tries Faramir began to cough and choke on the water that was coming out of his lungs. Boromir and Eomer carefully rolled Faramir over onto his side so he could cough up the water and be able to breathe once again. After a few moments Faramir stopped coughing up water, but he didn't open his eyes. Boromir pulled Faramir into his arms, still kneeling on the floor.

"Faramir, can you hear me brother?" Boromir said to his brother, but Faramir didn't even move.

"He needs the House of Healing my Lord." Beregond said.

That seemed to be enough to snap Boromir out of his thoughts and focus on what needed to be done. With the help of Eomer, they got Faramir up off the floor and put an arm around each of their shoulders. Boromir and Eomer carried the weight of Faramir as they traveled down the hallway and outside to their horses. Aragorn took Boromir's place with helping Eomer hold up Faramir while Boromir got back on his horse. Between all three of them they were able to get Faramir in front of Boromir on his horse. The others quickly got on their horses and they all followed Boromir down to where the House of Healing was on the sixth level. Once they arrived Aragorn and Eomer helped to get Faramir off from Boromir's horse before Boromir himself got down and took Eomer's place at his brother's side. They brought Faramir inside the House of Healing and was quickly greeted by Loreth, the eldest healer in Gondor. She looked horrified to see Faramir in such a state and she quickly showed them a place where they could place Faramir down.

"What happened my Lord?" Loreth asked as she went over to Faramir who was on the cot.

"I do not know. Can you heal him?" Boromir asked making sure he kept his anger from his voice. It was not this old woman's fault that Faramir was in this state.

"I will do my best my Lord."

"Do you have any athelas?" Aragorn asked.

"We do not keep any on hand here. We treat serious wounds. Athelas is normally only used to help women with headaches or joint pains from riding all day my Lord." Loreth said.

"You need to find some. Athelas has a stronger use than that if prepared properly." Aragorn said.

"Yes my Lord. Hallien." Loreth called out to a younger boy who helped in the House of Healing.

"Yes my Lady?" Hallien said as he ran into the room.

"You must go and find some Athelas leaves. Get it from anyone you can and hurry."

"Yes my Lady."

Hallien ran from the room to quickly try to locate some of the weed. Boromir looked down at his brother for the first time to truly look at him. He was covered in blood all over his front, back, his face and chunks of his hair were matted with blood. The right half of his face was swollen as was his eye from beatings by a right handed man. His chest and back were covered in whip markings that Boromir could see through the tattered shirt. Boromir felt like he couldn't breathe, that he couldn't move. He stood there watching as Loreth began to remove Faramir's shirt once a basin of warm water and a cloth was brought to her by another of the healing servants. Boromir watched as Aragorn moved to help Loreth with removing Faramir's shirt. Boromir knew that it should be him helping Loreth taking care of Faramir, but Boromir just couldn't seem to move. After a year of being away from his brother he never thought that when he finally laid eyes on him, he would be getting tortured. They were able to get Faramir's shirt off just as Hallien came back in with a few leaves of Athelas. Legolas took them from him before he spoke.

"Get a mug with warm water." Legolas told the boy.

Aragorn and Loreth rolled Faramir onto his side so they could see how badly injured his back was. There was blood there as well, but on parts of his body that was not covered in blood Aragorn could see scars there as well. They were in different stages of healing, some only a month old and some going back years. He looked over at Boromir and could see he was in shock, but Aragorn knew that he needed Boromir to see this.

"Boromir." Aragorn called over to him gently.

Boromir snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Aragorn. Aragorn nodded his head to indicate that he wanted Boromir to come over to him. Boromir moved over to Aragorn and looked at Faramir's back. He closed his eyes for a moment at the amount of blood and lashes that covered Faramir's back. Boromir was not sure why Aragorn wanted him to see this. It must have shown on his face because Aragorn silently pointed out scars from lashes that were only a month old. Aragorn could see the confusion on Boromir's face. He then showed him a spot where there was a scar close to four years old from what could have been a cane. Boromir didn't know where any of these scars or marks came from. He knew that something could have happened while he was away, but that one scar was there for four years at least. Boromir should know where it came from, surely Faramir would have said something.

"Beregond, take Lady Loreth's spot." Boromir said.

Loreth looked confused, but she did not argue. Beregond moved to help hold Faramir up on his side carefully. Beregond didn't say anything, but he knew what Boromir would be looking at. It was not his story to tell though and he wasn't about to betray Faramir's trust in him. Hallien came back into the room with the mug of warm water and handed it to Legolas. Legolas got to work on getting the leaves into the water and making the medicine. By now everyone was looking at Faramir's back to see what the commotion was. Boromir grabbed a cloth from the warm water in the basin and began to carefully wipe the blood away from Faramir's back. As more blood wiped off the more scars and past injuries they could see. By the time all of the blood had been wiped from Faramir's back, his back was covered in scars, current and past injuries from a whip or a cane. Boromir looked right at Beregond's eyes as he spoke.

"Has he been captured in the past year?" Boromir asked with anger and concern.

"No my Lord." Beregond answered.

"Then where did all of these past injuries come from?" Boromir asked.

"I do not know my Lord." Beregond said with as much strength as he could muster. He didn't want to lie to Boromir, for he was also his boss, but he wasn't going to tell him what he knew Faramir wanted kept secret.

Aragorn could tell that Beregond was lying. He looked over to Gandalf and could see in Gandalf's eyes that he saw through the lie as well. Aragorn was going to comment, but a small shake of Gandalf's head had him holding his tongue.

"Aragorn, the tea is ready." Legolas said.

Boromir and Aragorn carefully placed Faramir back on his back. Aragorn lifted Faramir's head and supported it with his left hand as he took the mug from Legolas with his right. He slowly poured in the tea giving Faramir the chance to swallow the liquid. It was slow going, but once the tea was gone he placed Faramir back down on the bed. Boromir and Beregond moved out of the way so Loreth and Aragorn could tend to Faramir's wounds. Boromir stood by and watched as they cleaned the wounds and bandaged them. He watched as they cleaned the blood from his face and then you could see how black and blue Faramir's face was. It was a good two hours before Faramir was all cleaned up and had bandages all around his torso. They had gone through five basins of warm water and many cloths just to get all of the blood off from his body. His hair was still matted, but Boromir knew he could always clean it once Faramir was settled. Boromir had many questions, but he knew he needed to wait until Hallien and Loreth were out of the room first. He knew based on the guards' uniform that they were tower guards, but they were always guarding the tree and they never took part in any of the questionings before. It didn't make any sense for them to be there. The other problem was how they even got into the hallway. Only him and his father held keys to the doorway so that meant that his father had placed Faramir there. There was no telling what his father knew that had happened to Faramir. It was possible that his father had those guards keep an eye on Faramir and he didn't know that his youngest son was being tortured and beaten. Boromir didn't even want to think about the possibility that his father did know and allowed for it to happen. Faramir had bandages wrapped all over his torso and they left him without a shirt for when they would need to change the bandages tomorrow. Boromir couldn't believe that this was happening to his sweet younger brother. Boromir never expected for this to happen to either of them and if it did he had always hoped that it would never happen to his brother. After seeing all of the old wounds and scars on his back Boromir had even more questions. He also had a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that he already knew what happened. Boromir feared that his father had something to do with those injuries and just the thought made him sick.

Loreth and Hallien left them alone, letting Boromir know that they would come by later on in the day to check on him. Boromir went and sat down beside the cot. Boromir looked over to the last servant about to leave and he spoke out.

"Bring me some cold water and a clean cloth."

"Yes my Lord." The servant said before she left to fetch what Boromir wanted.

"Cold water?" Merry asked softly.

"It will help bring the swelling down." Legolas said softly back to Merry and Pippin.

Aragorn stood beside Boromir and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"He does not have a fever. He is lucky for that and nothing is broken just bruised, in a few days he will be fine my brother."

Boromir didn't say anything he just took the comforting hand on his shoulder and Aragorn's words as comfort. A few moments later the servant came back in with a bowl of cold water and a clean cloth. She handed it to Boromir and Boromir gave her a small soft smile as thanks before she left. Boromir placed the cloth in the cold water and rung it out before he gently placed it against Faramir's right half of his face that was swollen. Once the cloth was there he held onto it, but he turned his attention to Beregond.

"I want to know everything that has happened in this past year Beregond, everything."

"I will tell you my Lord, but first if I may go and fetch something you must see. It will help you to better understand the seriousness of Gondor's situation." Beregond said.

"Very well."

"I won't be long my Lord."

Beregond left the room and headed back to his home to grab the papers that he needed. Beregond knew that having to tell Boromir everything that had happened in the past year was not going to be easy, but he needed to hear it. Beregond was just hoping that Boromir wouldn't blame Faramir for everything that has happened to Gondor. The room was quiet as no one knew what to even say. There was a lot that needed to be done, and a lot that needed to be discussed, but until Beregond came back to report on the state of Gondor there wasn't anything anyone could do. Eomer was the first to finally break the silence.

"From what I saw those first two levels were in rough shape."

"The first two levels tend to take a hit during the time of war. They are always the first to get destroyed by the enemies." Boromir said.

"Who lives down on those levels?" Merry asked.

"Peasants mostly. Soldiers and Rangers live on the second and third level. Before my father was Steward they used to live higher, but it would take them longer to set out for battles. He had them move down lower for a quicker response time. The soldier stables are on the third level as well." Boromir answered.

"Shouldn't the lower two levels be getting rebuilt?" Gimli asked.

"They probably are. My father would have ordered it; it could be they are waiting for supplies. The other regions all have different jobs that are ordered out to them. Lossarnach is our farmlands; they grow and harvest wheat, vegetables and fruits. They also make the bread and dairy products. They are only a day's travel from here. They are the main source of our food supply. Another region Enas Das, they are a smaller village that helps supply wood to Gondor. Anorien; is a small village near the mountain they help produce stone for the walls of Minas Tirith. On the fourth level is the armory, it takes up half of the level and employs peasants and other villagers to help with the wealth in the city." Boromir explained.

"The higher up on the levels you are signifies that you have a greater wealth and purpose to the city. Noble men live up closer to the fifth and sixth level while the Steward and his sons live on the tenth." Aragorn added.

"See that is the difference between men and dwarves. Dwarves share their wealth with everyone in the city. They don't hoard it for themselves while there are others who are starving." Gimli said.

"Except the dwarves do not share it outside of their race." Legolas said.

"Nor do men or elves." Gimli said back.

"Elves give gifts of weapons and protection. They do not give a solid coin, but we do share our knowledge and wealth with the world." Legolas said.

"He has you there." Pippin said with a smile.

Just then Beregond walked back into the room with a thick folder in his hand. He held it out to Boromir and Boromir took it with his free hand. He gave a questioning look at Beregond and Beregond spoke to explain himself.

"I do not want you to blame Faramir for what has happened in the past year my Lord. With this you will be able to see every request he made to the council and your father. All of the men he has and where they are located and what rations we have for food, water and weapons." Beregond explained in a serious tone.

"Why would I blame Faramir? What has happened?" Boromir asked.

"Many things have happened in the past year my Lord. Some I do not even know about, only Faramir does and he does not speak about it. Since your departure the council and the Lord Steward has been extremely hard on Faramir. Demanding too much and giving too little. There have been many loses on different levels. Currently we only have four free lands in Gondor. Lossarnach, Minas Tirith, Dol Amroth and Osgiliath. Osgiliath is hanging on by a thread as it is." Beregond started.

"How is that possible? When I left here a year ago we had loss three regions and that was all. How can we only have four free lands now?" Boromir asked with anger.

"It was not Faramir's fault at all my Lord. He has tried to keep the lands free from Orcs, but it has not been an easy task. We do not have enough men my Lord." Beregond said.

"I thought Gondor had six thousand men? How can that not be enough?" Eomer asked.

"We have six thousand plus my Uncle the Prince of Dol Amroth has two thousand as well. How did my brother lose so much land with that many men?" Boromir asked with anger in his voice.

"My Lord please, it was not Faramir's fault. If you would please listen to me before you get mad at your brother you will find that he is not the person your anger should be direct towards." Beregond said in a pleading voice.

"Well spit it out Beregond." Gandalf said.

"In those reports you will see the rations that we have been given. I'm sure you have noticed how thin your brother is." Beregond said.

Boromir and the others had actually not noticed how thin Faramir was. They all looked down at Faramir and they could see that he was thin, thinner than he had been a year ago. Faramir had never been a big man, but he was too small now. You could see the outline of his rib cage. His eyes were sunk in slightly, or the one that was not swollen at the moment. He was thin, dangerously thin.

"I actually had not noticed until you mentioned it. Why is he so thin? Has he not been eating?" Boromir asked with a softer tone as he looked at Faramir.

"He has not been eating often my Lord and that is the problem, none of the men have been eating much. We have no food." Beregond said sadly.

"Why do you have no food?" Legolas asked.

"Because Lord Steward has cut down the rations to a mere quarter of what they were a year ago." Beregond said sadly.

"He what? Why would he do that? The rations we had were just enough to begin with a year ago. Why would he cut any of it down?" Boromir asked as he looked at Beregond again.

Aragorn moved and grabbed the folder that was still sitting closed in Boromir's hand. Boromir allowed him as he was still holding and moving the cold cloth against Faramir's swollen right half of his face. Aragorn started to look through the folder as Beregond continued.

"I do not know my Lord. Faramir has made many requests to your father and the council, but every request has only resulted in our rations being cut down more. I am afraid Gondor is in serious trouble my Lord. Your father has banished Prince Imrahil from leaving Dol Amroth as well as his men. With Prince Imrahil's men no longer able to help us we lost two thousand men. That brought us down to six thousand, which should have been enough, but it was not my Lord. Your father ordered the numbers outside of Minas Tirith down in half leaving the soldiers and Rangers guarding the outer cities and regions at a great disadvantage. Fifteen men do not stand a chance against a hundred Orcs. We lost men quick and at a large rate. If they were not being killed in battles they were dying from starvation and dehydration. We lost a thousand men that way, from dehydration and starvation. We would go a week without food, Faramir and I have gone two weeks multiple times in the last year. He would always make sure his men had something before he would even think about eating. Another two thousand had been killed in battles that we should never have been ordered to be in. Faramir, he tried his best to convince the council and your father, but they would not listen to him. The Rangers would run out of arrows and have to reuse broken ones, collect them from the dead and hope it would be enough. A thousand other Rangers and soldiers left. They took their families and left in search of a better land. There was not enough food coming into Minas Tirith to feed their families, their children. That only left us with two thousand men to protect all of Gondor. Osgiliath was taking up a lot of resources and strength to keep it from being overrun. It is barely hanging on. Orcs started to attack other cities and regions before we could even receive word. Six months ago Faramir made the decision to empty out all of the regions that were free of Orcs, except for Lossarnach. All of the villagers were brought here.

Lossarnach was a completely different problem. Your father and the council had decided to cut down on their profits, taking more taxes not just from them, but Minas Tirith as well. For a while Lossarnach was refusing to harvest and produce any of the food. Faramir went to Lossarnach to speak to them after a month had gone by and no food had been delivered here. The top two levels had enough food stored for themselves, they did not give to anyone lower than them. Villagers were starving to death. Faramir was able to convince them to continue harvesting and producing with the promise that one day the war would be over and things would be set right. He was able to get them to see that they should not let innocent people and children die, because of what they feel towards the top two levels. Even with the food coming back into the city the levels eight and lower all began to hate your father, especially level one and two. They were paying taxes, are paying taxes, that have doubled in the last year. Most have lost their homes, unable to afford food and taxes. Now most of the two levels are homeless from not enough pay or their home had been destroyed. We have not been able to rebuild anything, because Ena Das has been taken over by Orcs and the council and your father refuse to pay for outside wood. They have cut back on most of the essentials that the city needs to function. The armory has barely been used in the last six months, because he refuses to pay the workers. Stating that in time of war they should work for free. Without villagers working in the armory we have only a few arrows in supply and swords. So you see my Lord, losing so much in the last year cannot be blamed on Faramir. He has done his best with what scraps he has been given." Beregond said in a serious voice as he looked at Faramir.

"He is right, Gondor is in serious trouble. An army of two thousand is only getting enough food and water for an army of five hundred. Their weapon supply is even worse. The Steward has gone mad if he thinks that these numbers will keep Gondor from falling." Aragorn said.

"It is not just the food that has brought down the moral of not only the army, but the villagers as well. The Steward has locked the library and placed guards at every public garden and park. He had banned even the children from playing in the parks stating that in a time of war everyone should be working and there should be no time for games. Faramir has been trying to keep the people at peace and not try and overthrow the Steward, but it has not been easy. In the last week with Faramir missing the people have gotten worse. A group of men set fire to a nobleman's house just three days ago. The city is reaching a dangerous level where if the villagers turn against Minas Tirith we could all be in danger." Beregond said.

"It makes no sense for my father to do that." Boromir said.

"Was there a falling out between the Steward and the Prince?" Gandalf asked.

"Not that I am aware of." Beregond answered.

"And my uncle is just taking this? Why has he not done something to help even if he cannot leave his land?" Boromir asked.

"Because my Lord even though he is a Prince, he is only an appointed Prince. The Steward still overrules him." Beregond answered.

"We need to send word to him and have him come down here to talk it out with my father. We need all the men we can get. We also need to send a messenger with an update to King Théoden in Dunharrow." Boromir said.

"I am afraid I cannot do that my Lord. All of the messengers have been forbidden to leave Minas Tirith. Faramir tried to send word to the Prince, hoping that he will go against your father and continue to help. Your father removed all of our messengers and replaced them with a handful of ones he picked personally. They make sure we do not send word to places we are not allowed to. In order to send a message to either parties it has to go through your father." Beregond said.

"This is madness." Legolas said.

"And how does the Steward expect to win a war if he does not allow alliances to be made?" Eomer asked.

"And people say Dwarfs are greedy." Gimli grumbled.

"I do not know my Lord what the Steward is thinking, but I fear it is nothing good." Beregond said.

"So what do we do if we can't get word out?" Merry asked.

"I will speak with my father and have the messengers reinstated. We need to work on reclaiming some of these lands." Boromir said.

"Beregond, what lands have the least amount of Orcs in them? Do you know?" Aragorn asked.

"Enas Das has just shy of a hundred based on a report from a week ago. Anorien, has roughly fifty Orcs that we know of. The other regions we do not know. We also do not know what condition these regions will be in." Beregond answered.

"Those two are the most important along with Lossarnach. We need to clear those two lands and make sure the farmland is well protected." Aragorn said.

"What riders do we have here?" Boromir asked.

"We have a hundred Rangers that are able to leave, but they are refusing to do so." Beregond answered.

"Why?" Boromir asked with anger.

"They have been refusing to leave until their Captain had been returned to them. With Faramir missing that truly was the last crack before the glass shattered. Your father and the council has put him through a lot since your leave." Beregond said sadly as he looked at Faramir.

"What does that mean?" Boromir asked.

"Two weeks after your leave your father had the servants pack up everything in your brother's room and place it in storage. I mean everything, his clothes, weapons, books, personal items. They took everything out of it and placed it in storage. Faramir was summoned to speak with your father and he wanted to clean up and change his clothes before he spoke to your father, only to find his door locked. I am sure your father told him why he had done that, but Faramir would not say. That was not all though, he would not let Faramir stay on the Steward level while he was in the city, making him homeless. Your father also took all of his money, everything he had saved up. Your father left him completely broke with no home and not even a change of clothes. Some of the men that are close to Faramir's size had given him some clothes to wear. When Faramir is in the city for longer than a few hours he stays on level one with some of the other men that sleep in a few of the make shift shelters that we have. Without you here to protect him from your father my Lord, Faramir has slowly been slipping away. He sleeps, but he does not rest. He is constantly plagued by nightmares or stress keeping his body from resting. Your father's poisonous words consuming his mind. I fear he will shatter." Beregond answered sadly.

"I will speak with my father. I will try and see what I can repair within Minas Tirith and the men. We need these lands taken back over though, so we can even consider to rebuild homes for people. Speak with the Rangers and soldiers that we have available here. Let them know that Faramir is here and will make a full recovery. Let them know that I am here as well. I also want you to bring me two of the messengers that we used to use so I can send word." Boromir said.

"I will get on that my Lord. If I could make a suggestion as well my Lord?" Beregond asked.

"Yes?"

"Before you speak with the Steward, I would request that you take a walk around the lower levels to see what state it is in." Beregond suggested.

"That is actually a good idea. It would give you a better perspective of the state Gondor is in." Gandalf said.

"A word of caution though my Lord, do not be surprised if people glare or whisper about you. The villagers and the army do not fully trust you at the moment." Beregond said gently.

"Why would they not trust me?" Boromir asked with anger.

"Because everyone knows you are the Steward's favorite son. They do not know if you would support his decisions and that is causing a mistrust among the city and the army." Beregond said calmly.

"And my brother is trusted?" Boromir asked.

"Faramir is known as the people's prince. He has done everything he can to help them. Rebuild shelters, he's even stolen food from the Palace and gave it to those women and children that were starving to death. Faramir has the city's loyalty and trust." Beregond answered.

"Go and get the messengers and get whoever is here in the city together to ride out to Enas Das." Boromir ordered.

Beregond just gave a bow and headed out of the room and went to collect two messengers and his men. Boromir couldn't believe everything that had happened. He couldn't even say there was some mistake in all of this, because there was a file as thick as a book with every request that Faramir had made to his father and the council. All of which had either been denied or ignored. None of this made any sense to Boromir and he knew he would need to speak to his father about this. Boromir just prayed there was some mistake or his father was being overruled by the council.

"Boromir, why don't you go and look at the city. I will stay here with Faramir and keep him company." Gandalf suggested.

"I'll go with you." Aragon said.

"As will I." Legolas added.

"The sooner you see the city and speak to your father the soon all of this mess can be sorted." Gandalf said calmly.

"He has scars that are years old, months old from a whip or a cane. You spoke with him all the time when he was younger. Did he ever mention anything to you?" Boromir asked softly as he looked at Gandalf and Gandalf could see confusion in Boromir's eyes. He was truly just trying to understand what is going on.

"No he never spoke to me about any injuries. I am afraid I cannot tell you where they came from exactly." Gandalf said.

"This is war he could have been injured while you were away or while he was away in another area." Eomer suggested.

"He would have told me." Boromir said.

"He might not have felt there was anything to tell. All soldiers get injuries in war. He might have thought nothing of it." Gimli said.

"Even still he should have told me. I am his brother I should know about these injuries. Injuries that had scared him. I've only been gone a year and yet so much has happened. It makes no sense for my father to be acting this way. There must be some misunderstanding behind all of this." Boromir said still not looking to accept the truth in this situation.

"There just might be, but are you prepared to face the worst should your father be the one responsible for the loss that Gondor has faced?" Gandalf asked.

"I don't know. I can't see him doing this." Boromir said as he looked at Faramir.

"That might be something you have to face before this is over." Gandalf said evenly as he looked at Faramir.

"What does that mean? Do you know something that I don't?" Boromir asked as he looked at Gandalf.

"I only know what I have observed and what Faramir has told me. I will not betray his trust by sharing what he has told me in confidence." Gandalf said calmly.

"I would never ask you to. I will have to speak to him once he is awake and able to." Boromir said.

"The army is going to be a problem. We just lost four thousand plus the two thousand that your uncle possess. We need more men if we are going to keep Gondor standing while we wait for my uncle to gather enough men to take on Mordor." Eomer said.

"I will send a messenger to my uncle and see if I can arrange for him to come down. He will allow his men to help as long as I can get my father to agree." Boromir said.

"A thousand men left with their families for better land. We could reach out to them and see if they will come back." Legolas suggested.

"Men are a problem, but so is the city. If we do not start to repair the damage that has been done within the city we will never win this war. We need to start to gain the villagers trust so they will go back to making weapons. Having thousands of men will only take us so far. It will be nothing if we have no food and weapons to give them." Aragon said.

"But from what Beregond said the village people are not happy with the Steward and they are not looking to help in any way." Eomer said.

"We need to try and repair the damage that has been done by the Steward and the council. We will not win this war if the villagers won't help to produce weapons for the men." Gandalf said.

"They can't survive off nothing though. They have a point. If the Steward is neglecting them and leaving them to starve and be homeless they won't see the point in helping." Legolas said.

"Brings us back to needing to see the city before the Steward is spoken to. We need to see just what condition the city is in and see how the villagers are reacting to it all." Eomer said.

The door opened and two young boys walked in. They were no older than eighteen and both looked nervous to be there.

"What are you doing here?" Boromir asked before the two boys could even speak.

"I am Hamilas and this is my friend Mindial. Lord Beregond said you wished for two messengers to come and speak with you." The one young man said.

"Yes I did, but you are not messengers that I know of. You are barely old enough to be in the army." Boromir said.

"We just started a month ago my Lord. We are the only ones that were willing to send a message for you. The others are not happy my Lord. Lord Beregond said it was vital so we agreed." Mindial said.

"What do you mean the others refused to come? I am their Captain they will follow my orders." Boromir said clearly angry that his men were refusing to listen to him.

"My apologises my Lord, but they do not feel that way. Captain Faramir is their Captain and with how he has been treated within the past year they do not trust the Steward or yourself my Lord. They have all heard rumours of the Steward's behaviour towards Captain Faramir." Mindial said.

"They look at you as the enemy just as the Steward until they see otherwise. They are only here for Captain Faramir and should he fall they will take their families and leave the White City." Hamilas added.

"I am not about to let these people starve and live on the ground. I have been away fighting for this war. I am not my father and I have never abandoned these people in the past or my men." Boromir said with anger.

"I'm sorry my Lord, but you will have to prove that and gain their trust once more." Hamilas said.

"We will deliver the messages for you if you wish still my Lord." Mindial added.

"Have either of you ever been in a fight?" Boromir asked.

"We have my Lord. We are aware of the risks my Lord." Mindial said.

"One of you will go to my uncle in Dol Amroth and the other will go and deliver a message to King Theoden in Dunharrow. You are to deliver the messages and then return." Boromir said.

"Yes my Lord." Hamilas said.

"Are the messages ready my Lord?" Mindial asked.

"No I will prepare them. Return in thirty minutes and I shall have them for you. Dismiss." Boromir said.

The young men both bowed before they left and would return in thirty minutes to retrieve the messages and then leave. Thirty minutes later Boromir had the two messages ready to be sent and he handed them each over to the two young men. With the messages being sent Boromir, Aragon, Legolas, Gimli and Eomer headed out to look at the different lower levels in the White City. Gandalf and the two hobbits stayed with Faramir to keep him company or in case he woke up. The five of them headed out and decided to walk down to the lower levels so they could see more than what they would have on their horses. The House of Healing was on the fifth level and from what they could see that level wasn't too bad. However, as they headed lower they could visually notice an extreme difference. The armory on the third level was indeed closed and it looked like it had been for a good six months. All of the parks on each level were guarded off by Tower guards as well as the library. When they reached the second level they could see that most of the homes were nothing more than piles of stone and wood. People were living homeless on the street. The street was lined with makeshift houses and tents. The villagers had torn and dirty clothes, they could see the hunger in their eyes and body. Boromir didn't want to believe it, but as he saw the destruction on the two lowest levels he knew that these levels had indeed been neglected. He would need to have a very long conversation with his father to see just what has been going on and why these levels and their people were being neglected. The dirty looks didn't go unnoticed either by the five companions as they walked by some of the villagers. It was clear that there was hostility in the air and even towards Boromir. This was new to Boromir, because he had never had any bad blood between himself and the villagers. He didn't spend much time with them, he was always with the army working on defending the city and Gondor. Faramir was always out with people and interacting with them. Faramir always had interests in anything that wasn't about war or an army. It was why they made such a great pair, they were two halves and when they worked together they were whole. Boromir knew he would need to try and repair the damage that has been done to the city.

"These levels are in rough shape." Eomer said as they reached the first level.

"They certainly have been neglected by the Steward." Aragon agreed.

"The hostility was thick among them. They do not trust us. It will take a great deal of time before they do. Time we do not have." Legolas said.

"I need to speak with my father and see what has been going on. I am sure there must be some form of a mistake in all of this. He has never acted this way towards his people before." Boromir said.

"A year can be a long time Boromir. You have been out fighting battles while your father has been here. You might not know what has been happening within the city while you are away." Aragon said calmly.

"I must speak to him and I will find out." Boromir said as Beregond headed over towards them.

"My Lord I have spoken to the men that are left here." Beregond said and they could all tell he was slightly nervous with what he had to tell Boromir.

"When can they be ready to ride out?" Boromir asked.

"That is the problem my Lord. The men are refusing to leave."

"What do you mean they are refusing my orders? I am the General to this army. They do not have a choice in the matter." Boromir said with anger.

"It's not against you my Lord. The men are refusing to leave until Faramir gives the orders. They are questioning your state of mind and your loyalty to them and to the people. You are your father's favorite son my Lord." Beregond said.

"I have always stood by my men and did what was right for this city. I have never put my men in jeopardy. We need the army to go and reclaim the farmlands so we can rebuild the city." Boromir said clearly angry at the situation.

"I'm sorry my Lord. They refuse to go. I have tried. They won't leave the city knowing that Captain Faramir is injured and unable to travel with them. Captain Faramir is the only Captain they will trust and follow until they are told by him to follow someone else." Beregond said.

"This is ridiculous I have lead them through many battles." Boromir said.

"By your leaving you left not only Captain Faramir at the mercy of your father, but the men and their families as well. There are many hard feelings that is causing this animosity among not only the men but of the people." Beregond said.

"I understand that and I am sure there is some explanation to all of this. However, we cannot rebuild homes without those lands." Boromir said trying to calm down.

"Beregond, can you see if a few of the men will go and scout the lands so we know how many Orcs are there." Aragon asked calmly.

"I can try my Lord. I may be able to find a few that are willing to do that." Beregond said.

"Do it that way when Faramir wakes up we will know the situation of those lands." Aragon said.

"Yes my Lord. I will see who is willing to make the journey." Beregond said.

"Beregond, where has my brother been staying?" Boromir asked.

"Over here my Lord."

Beregond guided the five of them over to a small makeshift tent that was on the cold hard ground. The tent was big enough to just cover a smaller man. There was a few clothes folded in a small pile in the corner with a few small brown notebooks sitting next to it. There was no blanket or pillow. Nothing to protect him from the cold or hardness of the ground.

"This is where my brother has been sleeping?" Boromir asked with hurt in his voice.

"Yes my Lord. As I said your father locked him out. He took everything from him and made it so that Faramir had nothing, not even a cent to his name. Most of the army currently sleep like this, because their homes have not be permitted to be rebuilt. Those are your brother's journals from the past year. He was always writing in them." Beregond said.

Boromir went and picked up the three notebooks before he spoke.

"See what men will go and scout the area of the farmlands. I will be with my father in his throne room." Boromir said as he turned to leave.

They could all tell that he was angry and he had every right to be. To be gone for a year trying to help end a war and be in many battles all the while his own home city was falling apart. They could understand his anger and frustration. All they could do was hope that it would get better once he spoke to his father and was able to find out just what was going on with the city. The fact that the army was refusing to go anywhere without Faramir's orders didn't sit well with any of them. It spoke volumes to the level of distrust among the army and the Steward. It was going to take a long time before they were able to repair what damage there was not just physically but mentally as well. The four of them continued to walk around the lower levels just trying to come up with ways to help the innocent people that lived there. Boromir made his way up to his father's throne room who he was certain by now knew of his return. If not he was about to find out it was not going to be the warm welcoming he may have been hoping for.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

As Boromir was heading towards his Father's throne room to speak to him the others headed back to the House of Healing. They needed to wait and see what comes from the meeting between Boromir and Denethor. They also had to wait and see what Beregond was able to do with the men. They walked in to see Gandalf washing Faramir's hair from all of the blood and dirt. He didn't look much better, but at least he was clean once again. With the dirt no longer on his face they were able to see even more bruising. He didn't look good at all, he was covered in bruising and he was very pale. His face was thin from not eating and getting enough water. He looked very ill and they all couldn't help, but wonder what effect this would have on his mind. Aragon sat down on the side of the bed that Gandalf wasn't sitting on.

"How was the city?" Gandalf asked.

"It's not in good shape. Beregond is speaking to the army. They are refusing to leave unless given the order by Faramir. Beregond is going to see if some of the men will go and scout the areas so we have a number on the Orc population." Aragorn said.

"This is a dangerous situation we are finding ourselves in. Boromir is speaking with the Steward I imagine." Gandalf said.

"Yes, though I can't see that ending well." Aragorn said.

"Nor should it. After what the Steward has been doing to the city and to his own son. That is not a conversation that should end well." Legolas said.

"Is the Steward possessed like my uncle was?" Eomer asked.

"Not likely. The Steward has always had greed and darkness in his heart. It would not have taken much to sway him on the wrong path." Gandalf said.

"What happens if Boromir isn't able to get the Steward to see sense?" Merry asked.

"I'm not entirely certain of what that result will be. Let us just hope for the best shall we." Gandalf said with a small smile.

A weak groan was heard in the room and everyone's attention was turned to see Faramir slowly opening his eyes. Gandalf placed his hand on Faramir's forehead as he spoke.

"Faramir child it is alright. You are safe."

Faramir turned his head slightly and everyone could see the pain in his eyes.

"Mithrandir." Faramir said softly with pain clear in his voice.

"It is alright Faramir you are safe in the House of Healing. Just rest now." Gandalf said gently.

"Lossar…" Faramir started to cough from the pain in his throat.

Legolas grabbed a glass and put a small amount of water into it.

"Aragon." Legolas said as he handed the cup to Aragon.

Aragon took it and he turned his attention to Faramir as he finished coughing.

"Faramir, take a drink my Lord." Aragon said as he held the cup to Faramir's mouth.

Faramir to the drink and once the water was gone he turned his attention to Aragon. He looked at Aragorn before he spoke.

"My thanks my King." Faramir said softly through the pain.

Aragon and everyone else in the room was shocked that Faramir knew who Aragon was.

"Just rest Lord Faramir, you are safe. Boromir will handle things until you are well." Aragon said gently.

Faramir looked over to Gandalf as he spoke.

"Boromir I saw him with arrows in him." Faramir said slowly with pain laced throughout his voice.

"He is fine. Much better than you are right now. There is no need to worry about your brother Faramir." Gandalf said gently.

"Lossarnach." Faramir started, but Gandalf cut him off.

"Just rest Faramir, we are working on it. Allow your body what it needs and rest." Gandalf said gently.

They could tell that Faramir wanted to argue, but his body wasn't able to handle the pain and being awake. His eyes closed and they could tell he was back asleep.

"How did he know I was the King?" Aragon asked Gandalf.

"I truly do not know. When he is more awake that is a question that needs to be asked." Gandalf answered.

"Is it a problem if he knows?" Pippin asked.

"It might be. Only time will tell." Aragon said.

"Why? Do you think he will fight against you taking the throne?" Eomer asked.

"Oh no Faramir would never fight Aragon for his birth right. Faramir just does not handle men in power very well. He's a shy man and has had problems in the past with men in power. It should be fine once he gets to know Aragon." Gandalf said.

"Why the fear with men in power or is that the obvious answer?" Gimli asked.

"The obvious answer will suffice." Gandalf said.

"Well he woke up though that's a good thing. Plus two weeks ago Frodo and Sam were here. At least they are alive still." Pippin said.

"That is a very good sign. There is still hope for them yet." Gandalf said.

"Let's just hope they make the rest of the journey alive." Gimli said.

"How did he see Boromir with arrows in him? I thought Faramir has been in Gondor the whole time." Eomer said.

"Boromir said his father had a dream and saw the ring. Maybe Faramir had a dream and saw Boromir's death only he didn't die." Gimli said.

"Or perhaps the Steward is not the one that had the dream of the ring." Legolas said as he looked at Faramir.

Aragon was looking directly at Gandalf and Gandalf was looking at Aragon. A silent conversation was going on between them for a few seconds. Aragon knew Gandalf knew more than he was telling and Aragon was going to figure it out. There seemed to be more to Faramir then Boromir knew about.

"It is not unheard of for close family members to have dreams of when their loved one is in danger or mortally wounded. For now he needs rest." Gandalf said.

"Do you think Boromir will be able to get his father to see sense?" Merry asked.

"I hope so for all of Gondor's sake." Gandalf said.

"All we can do now is wait and see how this will play out." Aragon said.

The others all stood around waiting for when Boromir would come to inform them of what happened with his father.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Boromir rode up to the Steward level on his horse. He was furious when he found out the condition of his homeland was in. He was even more furious when he found out the condition that Faramir had been living in. He had gone from sleeping in a big warm bed to sleeping on the cold hard ground. He didn't even have anything to protect him from the cold nights that Gondor brought. He and his men had been without food, water and weapons for too long and it was the men and Faramir that had been paying the price. Boromir was not going to let this go any longer. He was going to be speaking to his father and finding out everything that he could about what had been going on. He didn't doubt his brother, he couldn't argue with all of the requests that had been denied. This wasn't Faramir's fault and he was not going to let anyone believe so. He also was not going to ignore the fact that his brother, his baby brother, was kept in that torture chamber for a week by his father's own hands. It wasn't a happy scenario, but it was the one that appeared to be most likely in this situation. His father was the only one with a key to the cells and he was the one that had spoken to Faramir last. Faramir had done the right thing in letting Frodo and Sam go, something that he couldn't bring himself to do. The ring held no control or influence over Faramir unlike himself. If Boromir had been able to ignore and fight against the ring then Frodo and Sam wouldn't be out on their own and he might have been able to help them. However, Boromir wasn't going to ignore the obvious that if he hadn't tried to take the ring then they may not be here now and he may have never known about what his brother was suffering through since his leaving. Gondor could have been completely destroyed and he would never have known they were in need. Boromir didn't know which way would have bene better, but all he could do was try and make things right.

Boromir arrived at the Steward entrance at the top level. He got off his horse and he headed inside. He made his way through the hallways until he reached the Throne room where he knew his father would be. He ignored everyone as he walked through the hallways and they were all smart enough to not hound him with questions once they could all clearly see the look on his face. Boromir headed into the Throne room to see his father sitting on his throne looking like he had no care in the world. Like his youngest son wasn't being tortured for all he knew. With the sound of the door being open Denethor looked up to see that Boromir was walking towards him. Denethor's smile grew greatly and he got up as he spoke.

"My son you have returned." Denethor wrapped his arms around Boromir, but Boromir shoved them off from him as he walked around Denethor. "What is the meaning of this coldness from my son?" Denethor asked with anger.

"Coldness Father. How is Faramir? My brother, your other son. How is he fairing?" Boromir asked with seething anger.

"What does your brother have to do with this? You have been gone for ages."

"That I have Father. Imagine my surprise when I do return to find my brother is missing. Has been for a week."

"He will turn up eventually. Now that you have returned you will take your rightful place as General to this army. With your return now we will start to win battles again."

"Faramir has already turned up. I freed him from that cell from the torture he was enduring and I have no question they were ordered by you. How could you do that to your own son? Your own flesh and blood. All for a ring. Faramir made the right choice in letting the hobbits go. He did right by the world and by our people yet you punish him for doing what you could not. What I could not. Yet here you are coming to me with love and pride while for all you knew your younger son could be dying. You are not the man I remember."

"Boromir see reason. You are my son, you are my pride and joy and you will take my place when my time comes. Faramir has always been your mother's son, not mine. To add even more insult he becomes some Wizard's pupil. Not only does he defy my laws, he loses men and land to the enemy. He was a terrible son and an even more terrible General. He received exactly what he deserved and had coming to him. Now forget about him and focus. We must talk about the lands and how we can reclaim what your brother selfishly lost."

"You truly do not care for him at all. When? Or has it always been this way and I have just been blind to it all along. My brother did everything he could with what scraps you have left him and the men. I could not have done any better than Faramir with what you have given him to work with. Now the army does not trust me nor do the people. I have lost their trust and faith all because they all believe I will stand by what you have done. I won't Father. I won't stand by you while you destroy innocent lives. While you neglect your people and army. You threw your own son out like yesterday's trash. You stripped him of everything he has ever owned and all of his hard earned money. He worked for his money since he was ten years old. He has always worked for what he has, refusing to take any money from you. He has done everything within his power to try and please you and make you proud and this is how you treat him. With my leaving you had a true chance at getting to know him and you spat in his face. I do not know who you are, but you are not the man I knew as Father." Boromir turned and headed out of the Throne room.

"Where are you going?" Denethor asked with seething anger at Boromir going against him.

"To sit with my brother and be there for when he wakes." Boromir replied without even turning around to face his father.

Boromir left the Throne room and headed off down the hallway. He walked by one of the cleaning servants and he stopped her.

"You, what is your name?"

"Amelia my Lord."

"Do you know where my brother's things are? Lord Faramir?"

"Yes my Lord, they are kept in the storage room." Amelia answered.

"Do you know where my chambers is?"

"Yes my Lord."

"You will have someone bring everything that Lord Faramir has in the storage and place it in my Chambers. Do you understand me?"

"Yes my Lord. I'll have it done right away Sir."

Boromir left the servant and headed out of the building and back over to his horse. He got onto his horse and headed towards the House of Healing. He couldn't believe that his father had been so cold towards Faramir's wellbeing and he couldn't help, but wonder how long he had been so blind to his father's actions and feelings towards Faramir. As he headed back to the House of Healing he couldn't help, but flip through his memories to see if there was ever a time that something stood out. He couldn't think of a time when there was something that stood out to him. His father had just always been like this towards Faramir. There was never a time where Boromir could remember his father being fatherly or affectionate towards Faramir. It was why they were so close. Boromir was ten years older than Faramir so he had taken care of him when he was younger. He had been there for Faramir when their mother died when he was just five. They had become close so it was natural for Faramir to come into his room at night when he had a nightmare or just couldn't sleep. It was Boromir that Faramir turned to when he needed advice and if it wasn't him Faramir turned to Gandalf. Their father was just not someone Faramir took comfort from. Faramir had always just done what he could to try and please their father and earn his respect. Unfortunately Boromir now knows that Faramir never will no matter what he does. Their father will never see Faramir as anything more than a disappointment and an annoyance. Boromir was not little anymore though and he wasn't going to tolerate his brother being treated like this. He wasn't going to stand for this or let Faramir stand for it either. He was back home and he was going to make sure that Faramir knew he had his support.

Boromir arrived back at the House of Healing. He got off his horse and made sure he tied him up outside before he headed inside. He went straight to where Faramir was and he wasn't surprised to see everyone there. He was surprised to see Faramir sleeping, but he was not resting. He was restless and the look of pain and trouble was clear on his face. Boromir went over to his brother's side as Aragon moved out of the way. Boromir sat down and he grabbed his brother's hand.

"How long?" Boromir asked with sadness and anger clear in his voice.

"He woke for a few moments that was fifteen minutes or so ago. He has not been able to fully rest since." Gandalf said.

"Beregond said he had not been truly sleeping in ages. I fear to think of what could be troubling his mind all of this time." Boromir said sadly.

"Some men are able to handle war and some are not. Does not mean they are not capable of war or strong willed. They just do not have the heart for it. Faramir does not seem like the type of man to have the heart for war. He is gentle and kind, his eyes say so much." Aragon said.

"He has always done everything he could to help people. Even when he was younger he would help rebuild shelters and homes. Help give food to those that needed it. He was always the people's prince. Did he say anything when he woke?" Boromir asked.

"He spoke of you. I reassured him that you were alive and well. He did mention Lossarnach, but he was not able to say what it was concerning. He was much too weak to be speaking." Gandalf said.

"Lossarnach is the farm lands, maybe he was trying to tell you about the problems my Father has been having with them."

"Possibly. I spoke to him to give him some water. He called me his King. How he knows of me I do not know, but it would appear that he does know of me. I'm sorry my brother I know you wished for that to be kept quiet for now." Aragon said.

"It is not your fault. I should have known he would know of you. He was always interested in the tales of the Kings passed. He always wanted to see the King return in his lifetime. I should have known he would have done more research. I will speak to him and inform him of the type of man you are, that he does not need to fear you. Have patients and give him time. He will come around." Boromir said.

"I have all the patients for him." Aragon said with a friendly smile.

"I could make him a tea to soothe him if you wish." Legolas said.

"Faramir does not handle being given medicine without him being aware of it very well. It would be better to wait until he wakes again to ask him. Boromir, what happened with your father?" Gandalf said.

Boromir let out a sigh.

"What did I miss Gandalf? You were there, you came more often after our mother's death than you had ever before. You comforted him, you taught him, you trained him, you spoke to him and him to you. Were there signs that I ignored? How did I not see how cold he was towards him?" Boromir asked sadly and Gandalf could see that he was searching for answers and guidance, a rare occurrence between them.

"I can not and will not tell you what he has told me in confidence. I will tell you that you and your father have always had a different relationship than he has had with Faramir. I regret that it had become worse after I took an interest in Faramir. Your father and I have always not seen eye to eye on many things. Faramir was one of them, is still one of them. You saw your father in a different light than Faramir has. No one can hold that against you. Faramir does not and you should not either. Ten years stand between the two of you, you were off with the army and training when Faramir was just eight. You did not miss anything, because there were no signs that they showed. I will tell you this that when Faramir is well enough that you ask him. He may talk to you." Gandalf said.

"Father has never hurt him though physically right? These scars they didn't come from him right?" Boromir asked looking for Gandalf to agree with him.

"I do not know. I have not been here much like yourself. Only Faramir has that answer." Gandalf said.

The problem was Gandalf didn't doubt that the scars did come from Denethor. It wouldn't have been the first time that the Steward had hurt Faramir. There had been many times in the past when Gandalf had expected that Faramir was being abused, but the boy never admitted to it. He always denied it and tried harder to please his father, an impossible task. Gandalf felt Aragon and Legolas' eyes on him and he looked at both men and he could see that they did not believe him. They were both blessed with seeing eyes, Legolas more than any of them. They were able to see what Gandalf hadn't said, what he couldn't say.

"What did the Steward have to say of the situation?" Eomer asked trying to get back on topic. It wasn't that he wasn't upset about what Faramir had been through. He didn't know him, but he didn't seem like an evil man. He received torture because he let Frodo and Sam go like he was supposed to. He didn't deserve that treatment. He also needed to stay focused on the war and they needed to know if Boromir was able to get the Steward to see sense.

"He was cold towards the treatment that Faramir had been going through. We didn't speak much of the situation. He seems to believe that I will take the army back over and we will be able to reclaim the lands that Faramir selfishly lost. He doesn't see the errors in his way. I will have to speak to the council and try to find a solution. I am hoping my uncle will also come and join in on the fight." Boromir answered.

"Will he?" Eomer asked.

"He should once he receives the message. My uncle will not abandoned Gondor or his family." Boromir said.

"It will take a day or two before the scouts come back from the other lands. We will have more information then and hopefully Faramir will be able to talk more." Aragon said.

"So what do we do now?" Pippin asked.

"Now we wait until more can be done." Gandalf said.

"Beregond should return shortly I will have him set some rooms up for you to rest in." Boromir said.

"When will you speak to the council?" Legolas asked.

"When the scouts have come back and we have more knowledge of the lands. I will speak to the council then. My hope is Faramir will have been awake before then." Boromir answered.

"For now there is nothing any of us can do, but wait. We should rest and regain our strength we will need it before this war is done." Aragorn said.

The others sat or leaned against the walls. Legolas was feeling the strong urge to be outside so he headed out of the House of Healing and made his way outside to the setting sun. He went over to the edge of the level and leaned his forearms on the wall and looked out into the city. He could see down all of the other levels and he could see far and beyond the horizon. Legolas had been blessed with a great deal of powers from his kin. His sharp eyes had saved him and many lives before and many more to come. Legolas was doing his best to ignore the pain in his heart at the memories that came at him. He had been in this city once before and it didn't end well for him. It was well over fifty years ago, but the memories still stayed strong and true in his mind. The problem with elves was they lived for thousands of years so time had a different meaning to them. What seemed like a life time ago for a normal man was really only a year or two ago for an elf. The pain was still raw and fresh from being back inside the city that had caused him some of the greatest pain in his life so far. It was also the first time him and Aragon had spoken to each other. Legolas had taken his father's advice and sought out Aragon, the man known as Strider. When Legolas found him he was only but twenty years old. He was a young ranger at the time and there was not much known about him. Legolas had kept his distance from Aragon for a few months. He was just watching him, watched how he trained and how he fought. Aragon was always alone, Legolas could tell he was not one for company of men. He was graceful and much of his training reminded Legolas of that of an elf. Only he didn't have what special abilities that elves have. Legolas didn't see what his father had seen, but his father did believe that Aragon was going to be a great man one day so Legolas would trust him.

For ten years Legolas followed Aragon through the world. He always kept his distance and never spoke to him. He had saved Aragon's life from time to time when he was caught outnumbered by an enemy. There had been more than a few dozen times when Aragon had seen Legolas from a distance after he had saved his life. They had never spoken and Aragon had never been able to find Legolas unless he was in serious trouble. Only then would Legolas appear to help him and then disappear right afterwards. Aragon knew that Legolas was an Elf he had grown up with them for his whole life from his mother. Aragon at first just figured that Legolas had been sent from his father, Lord Elrond to keep an eye on him and to watch over him. Aragon didn't even think twice about it and even though at first he was angry after ten years he was glad to have the shadow. It wasn't until they were in Minas Tirith did they finally meet. Legolas could remember it so clearly.

_Flashback_

_Legolas didn't know how long he had been kept here in the dark cell. There was no window so he didn't get any light. He had tried to keep track of the days, but after a while he was unable to. He was chained to the dirty and cold stone wall. He had been there for so long his wrists were raw from the chaffing of the shackles on them. He was cold and filthy. He was also nude and he could feel the liquid of men on the inside of his thighs. His clothes were thrown into a pile on the other side of the cell. Even if he could reach them there was no way he would be able to put them on with his wrists shackled. Legolas didn't know how long he had been kept in the dark and cold cell, but he could feel his soul suffering. He was a wood Elf he needed the open air, the sun and the forests to energize and keep his soul alive. Being trapped in this cell and being tortured had done a number on his soul after so long. He was fighting back the darkness, but he could feel it taking over him. He was severely injured both externally and internally. Legolas knew without Elvish medicine he would be dead within a week now. He was hungry and exhausted. Elves didn't need to sleep, but their body did when it was injured. Legolas had denied his body what it needed in order to stay awake and aware of his captors and torturers. He was exhausted and all he wanted was to lay in the warm sun and try to remove the darkness from his soul. _

_The door opened and Legolas didn't even look up at his torturer. He knew what was coming. It had been happening a few times a day now for what Legolas assumed was months. It was always the same he would be whipped, raped and then beaten and this time was no different. After endless hours he was finally left alone, but his spirit grew darker and darker. He was left with his hands shackled behind his back and he was laying on his right side on the floor. He was covered in blood and more was pooling underneath him from multiple stab wounds. It was getting harder to breathe and Legolas knew that meant that one of his lungs had been injured. He was fighting to stay awake, but he just couldn't do it. He felt his body and soul slipping into the darkness. _

_Aragon had been traveling through Gondor for a couple of weeks now. He hadn't been here for six months, but there was something calling him here. He hadn't seen his shadow for the last six months, even when he could have used his help in battle he didn't appear. Aragon had also been having these dreams for the last few weeks about his blonde shadow. He kept dreaming of him in pain and in darkness. The call to find him was too great and Aragon had traveled back to Gondor to try and find his shadow. He arrived at Minas Tirith at nightfall. He knew where the cells were as he had been here many times before. He knew how to sneak around the White City. Aragon didn't know why he knew his shadow would be in the cells, but he just did. Aragon had learnt long ago to trust his instincts and the dangers of ignoring them. Aragon was able to sneak inside the cells without much trouble. He had to knock a few of the guards out to get the keys, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He opened the cell door to where his shadow was and Aragon couldn't believe what he was seeing. There on the floor, filthy and bleeding out was his shadow. A blonde Elf that he didn't even know his name. Aragon quickly ran into the cell and pushed the hair out of the Elf's face. He felt for a pulse and was relieved to find one, but he was in bad shape. He was losing a lot of blood and he seemed to be having trouble breathing. He needed strong medicine, but the only person that Aragon could think of that would be able to save his shadow was his father. Aragon knew he had to hurry so he reached over and grabbed the discarded pants that were in a pile in the corner of the cell. He quickly put them on his shadow and used his cloak to wrap around him. He then picked up the extremely light Elf and headed out of the cells and back to his horse. He got Legolas up on his horse in front and he got on behind him and took off at full speed. He would need to stop once he was a little bit away from the city to try and slow the bleeding down before he could continue. He was hoping to get to Riverdale in time to save the Elf hat had saved his life countless times before. _

_The journey was long and hard. Aragon hadn't stopped unless it was to feed and water his horse and wrapped Legolas' wounds. The Elf hadn't woken up the entire time and his body was growing cold, even the sun wasn't helping the Elf. Aragon had finally arrived at Riverdale and he headed straight for his father's house. When he arrived outside of it he got off his horse as he called out._

"_Help! I need some help down here!" _

_Aragon got Legolas down as Elves started to come towards him. The commotion was enough to draw Lord Elrond out from his home. Aragon had Legolas down on the ground and other Elves were checking his injuries. Elrond came over to see Legolas and Aragon could see the shock on his face, even if it was barely noticeable. _

"_Get him inside at once. He is gravely ill." Elrond said._

_Two Elves grabbed Legolas and carried him inside the house. They placed him into the guest room on the bed. Aragon walked quickly behind Elrond explaining what he knew._

"_He was in the cells in the White City. I do not know for certain how long he has been there, but I fear it has been six months. He has not awoken yet."_

"_He is still alive, that is a good sign. I will work on him and try to save the Prince's life." Elrond said as he went over to the bed to start to work on Legolas._

"_Prince? You sent a Prince out to follow me?" Aragon asked confused._

"_Follow you? I have done no such thing and I would not send Legolas Prince of Mirkwood if I would. Grab bandages and clean water as well as clothes for the Prince." Elrond said to his aids._

"_I do not understand. If you did not send him after me, then why has he been around?" Aragon asked confused._

"_We will discus this later. I need to focus Estel."_

"_Of course Ada. Is there anything I can do to help?"_

"_Help me control this bleeding. He's losing too much blood."_

_Aragon went over to the other side of the bed and started to apply pressure to the largest stab wound. It was a long and tiring process, but after a good four hours they were able to get Legolas stable, clean and in clean clothes. Aragon then left the room with Elrond to speak to him._

"_Now my son tell me everything." Elrond said with patients._

"_Ten years ago I noticed a shadow. I only ever saw this person from a distance and only when I was in trouble. When a battle grew too large. This person would come in from a distance and help me. It took months before I was able to catch a glimpse of this person and I noticed it was an Elf with blonde hair. That's all I knew. We never spoke and he never appeared unless I was in need. I started to think of him as my shadow. A protector that I thought you assigned. I was in Gondor six months ago and I know he was there with me. He always is. He has been following me around this world for ten years. Never once have we spoke or even been face to face. Six months ago I started to notice that he stopped appearing when I was in need. A few weeks ago I started to have dreams of him being injured and in pain. I went back to Gondor and found him in the cells of the White City. I did not know what to do so I brought him here to your medicine. Will he be alright?" Aragon asked with concern._

"_He should make a full recovery. His soul is weakened and fighting the darkness. Being trapped in a dark cell away from the forest and sun has greatly wounded him. He also has suffered unimaginable torture and violation. It will not be easy on his heart or soul."_

"_Why has he been following me?"_

"_I do not know. I do not see Thranduil appointing his son a position following you around this world. His staying must be a personal reason that only he knows."_

"_What is he like?" Aragon asked as he looked at Legolas from the open doorway._

"_He is a strong fighter and a part of the dying generation. He does not look it, but he is only a year older than Arwen. He is known as the best archer in Mirkwood. His soul is bright and strong. His heart is large, he feels greatly for life. He will make a great king. For whichever his reasoning is, I am glad he has been there for you in the last decade."_

"_He has saved my life close to fifty times. I will have to wait until he is well enough to speak. I would greatly like to know why."_

_That time didn't come until two days later. Aragon had been sitting beside the bed for the whole time. He had left the curtains open to allow the sun to come into the room and warm up Legolas' body. Aragon was hoping the sun would help to not only warm up Legolas' body, but also his soul. Aragon was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Legolas groan as he began to wake up. Aragon looked up and saw that Legolas' eyes were fluttering open. Legolas opened his eyes and he was first greeted by the warm sun on his cool skin. He couldn't even remember the last time he had felt the sun on his skin. Legolas noticed that he wasn't in the cell anymore, but he didn't truly know where he was. The room didn't look familiar, but inside of him he had the feeling of home. He knew he wasn't back in Mirkwood, because it didn't smell or sound the same, but he didn't feel threatened either. _

"_It's ok Prince Legolas you are safe here." Aragon said calmly from his seat beside the bed._

_Legolas turned his head at the sound of Aragon's voice. If he was shocked to see Aragon his face didn't show it._

"_Strider." Legolas' voice was rough and raw from not being used much in the past six months. _

_Aragon stood up and went over to get some water for Legolas. He brought the water over to the bed and Legolas tried to sit up. Aragon helped him to lean against the pillows on the bed so he was half sitting and half laying down. Aragon handed the cup over to Legolas and Legolas slowly drank it knowing that he could upset his stomach if he did it too fast. After a moment he handed the cup back to Aragon who placed it down on the bedside table._

"_How are you feeling Prince?" Aragon asked gently._

"_You can call me Legolas. How did I get here?"_

"_I've been having dreams for a few weeks now about you. I was able to get you out and I brought you here to my home in Rivendell. My Elf father Lord Elrond was able to heal you."_

"_You live with Elves?" Legolas asked confused. He had heard of the rare man or woman living within the Elves, but that usually only happened when they were half-breeds._

"_My mother was a part of this kin, when she died Lord Elrond took me in. I've been living here practically my whole life."_

"_You are a fortunate man Strider."_

"_Aragon, you've saved my life close to fifty times in this past decade. You deserve to know my real name."_

"_I appreciate you saving mine."_

"_Why have you been following me? I do not mind after all it has been helpful, but I do not understand why." Aragon said calmly._

"_My father and I have had some problems in the past. We do not always see eye to eye with each other. He prefers followers that will not question him. I prefer to trust my heart and do what is best for everyone. We had a disagreement a decade ago over a fellow She-Elf. He banished her for her following her heart. She fell in love with a Dwarf. During the battle with Gouden-burg's army he was willing to abandon the men and Dwarves that were fighting against the Orc army. Many of my Kin were dead or dying and he didn't see the outcome worth it. I stayed to fight and we were victorious, but most of the Dwarves were dead, including the one that the She-Elf was in love with. When my father found me after the battle I told him I would not be returning to Mirkwood with him. He told me of this young Ranger who had a great father and he was destined to be a great man. I was curious as to who this Ranger was that caught my father's attention. That Ranger was you." _

"_Why all of these years then? You've been my shadow for a decade. Were you waiting for me to do something great?" Aragon asked with a smile._

"_No, you were intriguing. The more I watched you the more I agreed with my father. There is a great destiny about you. It's why I continued to stay and watch you grow. Ten years is not long in my world."_

"_I know that to be true. I appreciate you being there to keep me alive and to help."_

"_Thank-you for getting me free."_

_Aragon smiled at Legolas as he sat there in his chair._

_End of Flashback_

Legolas closed his eyes at the memory that flooded his mind. It had been fifty years, but it was still so fresh in his mind and in his soul. He opened his eyes when he felt Aragon coming towards him. Aragon knew how hard this would be on Legolas. It wasn't a conversation they have had the chance to have and right now it was the best chance they had. Aragon came up beside Legolas and mirrored his position.

"How are you fairing old friend?" Aragon asked calmly, but Legolas could hear the concern.

"If it was not for this war I would not be here."

"I know. I'm sorry that we have to be here."

"It is out of your control. I will be fine, those men are long dead. I have made peace with it. I have not been back here since that is all."

"Dealing with memories I can understand that. Would you like to stay or go out and scout the area?" Aragon asked calmly. He wasn't going to order Legolas to leave, he couldn't even if he wanted to. Legolas would do as he liked, he always has. Aragon was just going to give Legolas a way out of the city for a little while if he wished it.

"Tempting, but I wish to stay close to Faramir. There is something different about him."

"You sense it too then."

"He has the gift of foresight. It is very rare within the race of men."

"Normally only Elves have it. We both have seen things in the past, but not on an often schedule. I have a feeling that Faramir has it more often than either of us do. Gandalf knows, but Boromir seems to be in the dark on it."

"Maybe Faramir is afraid of what he will think. The reason why Boromir does not know is not clear. There is a danger of the Steward discovering this."

"I do not want to even think about what the Steward would do if he found out that Faramir has foresight. He was able to see Boromir's attack and I am assuming he must have had a dream with myself in it as King. There is no other way he would have known who I was."

"We will have to question him when he is able to handle it. We need to know more about it. Even Gandalf seemed surprise that he knew who you were."

"It takes a lot to surprise Gandalf. He also didn't know of those injuries. Do you think the Steward had something to do with them?"

"I think there is more evil within their relationship than Boromir and even Gandalf does not know. Gandalf is hiding something within his eyes, something that is not going to please Boromir when he finds out."

"Hopefully Faramir tells him. Boromir deserves to know what has been happening. Faramir will also need to talk to someone about it. They were close once I would imagine they still are now once Faramir has the chance to heal. Gandalf was right though, Faramir is a kindred spirit. War is troubling him and invading his dreams. It's sad."

"Darkness within the soul can kill a man. He will need help to overcome this. It will not be easy, but with the love of Boromir he just might survive his turmoil."

"I hope you are right. He seems like a good man on the road to being a great man. Someone once followed me around the world for a decade on the promise that I would be a great man one day." Aragon said with a smile as he looked at Legolas.

Legolas smiled back as he spoke. "You became a great man. The years were well worth it old friend."

"The fifty years afterwards have been well worth it and a lot of fun."

"I will have to sneak you out on hunts after you are crowned. Someone has to keep you entertained and trained." Legolas said with a smirk.

"I suppose it is my job to keep you entertained and trained as well." Aragon said with his own smirk.

Legolas smiled at Aragon. They had been good friends for fifty years and Legolas had enjoyed every single one of those years. With the help of Aragon he had been able to recover from what had happened to him. It took a good year before he even left the boarders of Rivendell, but Aragon had never pushed him. He had been there when Legolas was plagued by nightmares and when he needed someone to just sit there in the silence with him. Aragon had been with him the first time he left Rivendell and they had traveled together after that for ten years. Then Legolas was needed back home and he had to go and fulfill his duty to his people. Afterwards they had seen each other in passing and Aragon had come to visit him in Mirkwood and Legolas had visited him in Rivendell when he could. They kept the friendship going and they had become very good friends. When Elrond had called out for representatives from certain kin Legolas didn't even hesitate to go. Legolas would have been fine not being a part of the fellowship, but when Aragon swore to go Legolas knew he would be going as well without thought. He was going to be there for Aragon and make sure he came back alive. Legolas was happy to die for Aragon, because Aragon had become his closest friend and he loved him dearly. Just like he knew that Aragon would die to save him.

"We should go back inside. The others will need rest." Aragon said.

"You need rest as well. I will keep watch."

"I know you do not require sleep, but are you sure you wish to be on look out?"

"I am fine Aragon. I will keep watch and make sure no enemy comes forth. Go and rest before we leave for battle once again."

"Very well. I will go and get them sorted before I turn in. You need to talk you know where I will be old friend."

Legolas gave a nod with a smile before Aragon turned to head back inside the House of Healing. He needed to get everyone sorted in a place to sleep. He could also do with a few hours of rest as well. Aragon didn't know how long it would be before any of the scouts arrived back, but he knew it wouldn't be tonight. Tomorrow they will have to deal with it and more, but for tonight Aragon could get everyone in a bed and resting while they had the chance. Tomorrow was going to be another long day that could end in battle so tonight they would enjoy the peace before the sun comes up.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

It had been two days since Faramir had awoken. Two days since the scouts had been sent out to the other regions of Gondor. They were due back within the next few hours and then they would have an idea as to what the lands were like. Faramir had yet to reawaken since the first time. Boromir had been sitting by his bed side the whole time. He didn't want to leave again only for Faramir to wake up and him not be here. Faramir had been tossing and turning in his sleep for the past two days plagued by dreams. Boromir just wished he could wake his brother up and free him from the dreams, but his body was too exhausted and in too much pain to be released. Boromir just wanted his brother to wake up so he could see him and speak to him. He didn't like that he was trapped in his dreams, dreams that were obviously hurtful to him. Boromir just wanted his brother safe, even if that didn't seem likely with the war going on.

Boromir hadn't seen or spoken to his father since that day when he spoke to him in his throne room. He didn't know what to say to his father right now. He needed to speak to Faramir to see just what had been happening since he left for Rivendell. He couldn't seem to understand why his father would have done this to Faramir, even though he knows he did. Boromir felt like he was missing something important, something that Faramir had kept from him, but he just couldn't figure out what that was. He didn't understand why Faramir would have kept something from him. He always told him everything growing up. They were ten years apart from each other and Boromir had taken care of Faramir ever since their mother had passed away. Boromir thought that Faramir knew he could always come to him and he would be there for him. Now Boromir was not so sure that Faramir knew that at all and that troubled Boromir greatly.

Currently, Boromir, Gandalf, Legolas and Aragon were the only ones in the room. The others had left to stretch their legs and train the hobbits more in fighting while they had this break. Any extra help they could get could mean the difference of life and death. They were currently sitting in silence when Aragon finally broke it.

"Boromir, I know this is difficult for you, but we must discuss on how we should handle the city. There has been an increase in rumors going around since we have arrived. The people are tense and ready to strike out. We cannot afford a civil war along with the war we currently possess."

"I agree, but I do not know what to do. My people do not trust me. I left with good intentions of getting to the bottom of this dream. I never expected to return to the city like this. My men will not even listen to me. I do not have the answers to this." Boromir said with sadness and frustration.

"I am afraid until Faramir is better the people will be restless. He has always been their Prince. They have trusted him and relied on his heart to get them through. Even the men who have fought beside him. Now he is here at the hands of his father's guards. It does not take a wise man to know how he got thrown in those cells. The order came from the Steward and the people know it. It was just one last crack in the glass for them." Gandalf said.

"We need to show these people that we come in good faith. We come to help, but they will not trust our intentions." Legolas said.

"We need the Council to start to make the changes that the city needs. We need to get back into good standing with the other regions and get the proper rations and supplies that the city needs." Aragon said.

"My Uncle will have received the message this morning if not by the afternoon. He will come here and speak with me and my Father. Once the scouts have returned we will know just what condition the regions are in and how many orcs are in the area. Once my Uncle arrives I will speak with him and together we can approach the Council and my father as a united front." Boromir said.

Beregond walked into the room and all of their eyes went to him.

"I am sorry My Lord if I am interrupting. Some of the scouts have returned with numbers My Lord."

"What were they able to discover?" Aragon asked.

"Enas Das has a hundred Orcs within the lands. The area has been destroyed, but the scout believes it can be repaired and wood can be prepared once again for the city. Anorien has two hundred Orcs there and it is in good standing, but with the Orcs there we are not able to get any stones for the city and to rebuild the walls." Beregond answered.

"And Lossarnach?" Boromir asked.

"He has not returned yet My Lord, but he is expected to be arriving shortly." Beregond answered as he looked over at Faramir and he could see that he was dreaming once again.

"Three hundred Orcs in the area is not a bad position; however it stops us from being able to repair the city." Legolas said.

"We will need to kill the Orcs and have men posted in those regions to keep the area cleared. What numbers do we have on Ithilien and Osgiliath?" Boromir asked.

"Ithilien has been lost to us. Faramir tried his best to keep it under our order. There were just too many Orcs and men coming through and with not enough men to hold strong there it fell. Now the Orcs and men use it to pass through our land into new regions. It also allows them to transport their supplies easier. Osgiliath is over run. It was holding on by a thread. All of our attention was on keeping the water boarder under our control. But without the men and supplies needed to properly defend the land Faramir had no choice, but to retreat back to the city. We truly only have the city and Lossarnach free of Orcs." Beregond answered.

"We need to work on the smaller regions first. If we can eliminate the Orcs from those areas we can work on rebuilding the city. Rebuilding the city will put faith and trust back into the people and in the army. We may be able to get men to return back to the city. With the right amount of men we can then take on the larger regions." Aragon said.

"We need to start with Lossarnach. They provide the food to the city. These people need food." Gandalf said.

"Beregond, when the scout returns from Lossarnach inform us immediately." Boromir said.

"Yes My Lord. How is Lord Faramir recovering?" Beregond asked with concern.

"He is not doing well. He only awoke for a few moments two days ago. He has not awoken since. He is plagued by dreams as you said." Boromir said with worry to his voice.

"He has been through a great deal My Lord. He has had to bury thousands of people including children. He has buried his own men. When we travelled by a village that had been destroyed by the enemy he has stopped to bury the dead. Even our enemies that we have defeated that were men. He has buried them. The men had asked him once six months ago why he would take the time and energy to bury the bodies of our enemies. He simply said, because it was what was right. That even though we are in war we should not let our humanity be destroyed, because then we would become no better than our enemy. Every death, every battle took a piece of himself. I do not know how he will come back from the darkness that this war has brought." Beregond said sadly as he looked at Faramir.

"He will not suffer alone. I will get my brother through this, just as I always have." Boromir said.

"He will need time out of Gondor. Faramir has yet to have the pleasure of seeing what beauty there is in the world for himself. All he has ever had were pictures in books. A spirit like Faramir's needs more than stone walls to truly be." Gandalf said.

"You have mentioned that before when we were younger. You wished to take Faramir with you on a journey, but Father refused the request. Father felt that because Faramir was only eight he should not be traveling outside of the walls of the city." Boromir said.

"That is correct, though the Steward did not put it in those words to me. I felt that after the death of your mother, Faramir would do well on a little journey outside of the realm of Gondor." Gandalf said.

"You have always had an interest in my brother, ever since he was five when mother died. Why did you have such an interest in my brother?" Boromir asked with genuine interest.

"He was very different than any other child I had ever met. He was four the first time I saw him. He was calm, polite and very intelligent. At four he had already learnt two other languages that your mother had begun to teach him. He had a very strong desire to learn and a love of it. He learnt Elvish on his own so he could read the stories of the Elves. There was a destiny about him, even at such a young age. Once I heard of your mother's passing I came back straight away to see Faramir. I wanted to check in and see how he was fairing from your mother's passing."

"He was devastated and yet he was calm. I have never understood how he was able to deal with it, with this acceptance at his age. You expect a five year old to cry and not understand what death is. Yet he did not cry until that night when he was alone in his room. I went to check in on him in the middle of the night and he was still crying. He told me that he was sad and happy at the same time. He was sad to see her leave us, but he was happy that her soul was free and she would no longer suffer the daily pain of her illness. No five year old should react that way. It was like he knew she was going to leave us that day. He was with her when she passed. I had been out training and Father was busy with work. He was alone in the room with mother as she passed. Father had found them and according to him, Faramir was just simply sitting there beside her, holding her hand singing a song that our grandmother taught him, a song that guided a person's soul to Heaven. Father blamed him for a while. He thought that Faramir had done something to make mother pass. Faramir never believed it though. He always believed that she was in a better place." Boromir said as he looked at his brother.

Legolas and Aragon shared a look and they both knew that there was a strong possibility that Faramir had seen his mother's death before it happened, even at the young age of five. Aragon looked over at Beregond and he could see that Beregond knew as well that Faramir was a Seer. A secret that Beregond had kept from Boromir. Aragon nodded his head slightly towards Beregond and Legolas looked over and saw what Aragon had seen. There was a large secret in Faramir's life that his brother was not aware of. Before anyone could make a comment to what Boromir had said Eomer and Gimli had entered the room.

"Where are the little ones?" Boromir asked.

"They are resting by the stables. Have we heard from the scouts?" Eomer asked.

"There are three hundred Orcs in the region of Gondor. We are waiting to hear word from Lossarnach." Aragon said.

"Three hundred is a manageable number." Gimli said.

"It is if we can get the men to agree to leave. We need to start rebuilding these lands." Aragon said.

"How is Lord Faramir fairing?" Eomer asked.

"He has not woken again." Boromir answered.

"His eye is no longer swollen, at least he is healing my friend." Eomer said.

"He is still covered in bruising and lashes that have only just stopped bleeding." Boromir said sadly.

Faramir had begun to mumble in his sleep.

"Fire. Lossarnach." Faramir moaned in pain and Boromir moved his hand to run it through his brother's hair trying to calm him down.

Gandalf, Aragon and Legolas turned to look at Beregond. Beregond was looking extremely worried at this point and Gandalf knew he couldn't wait any longer. He was hoping Faramir would forgive him.

"This is not the first time those words have been spoken is it Beregond." Gandalf said in a tone that Beregond knew he wouldn't be able to lie to.

"No Master Gandalf."

"When?" Gandalf asked.

"Three weeks ago was the first. We were on our way back here and he went to speak to the Steward. He had plans to return to Lossarnach, but he was then taken into custody. There had been no word of a fire so one has not happened yet. It becomes more frequent when it is closer to the event." Beregond answered.

"What are you both talking of?" Boromir asked with confusion in his voice and on his face.

Before anyone could answer Faramir took in a sharp breath as his eyes snapped open. He took a shaky breath as he looked around and he saw Gandalf to his left and Boromir to his right with Beregond, Legolas, Gimli, Eomer and Aragon by the foot of the bed.

"It is okay brother. You are safe." Boromir said gently.

"Lossarnach." Faramir said weakly as he looked at Beregond.

"A scout is due back shortly from there. Scouts were sent out to the regions to gather information on the number of Orcs in the lands." Beregond said.

"What did you see child?" Gandalf asked gently.

Faramir turned his head to look at Gandalf as he spoke. "Fire and Orcs. People still live there, they were screaming and running." Faramir took a shaky breath from the pain before he spoke again. "A tunnel from one of the farms that goes through the earth to make way for water from rain. It will lead them to the other tunnels that will lead them to here inside the walls." Faramir said with pain in his voice.

"It was a nightmare Brother. It is okay." Boromir said calmly.

"Boromir, you came to Rivendell based on a dream your Father supposedly had about the ring. You are thirty-five, an intelligent man. Do you truly believe in your heart that your Father had that dream?" Gandalf asked calmly.

"Are you saying that Faramir had the dream and Father lied?" Boromir asked.

"Given the current situation is that truly hard to believe?" Gimli grumbled.

Boromir turned his attention to Faramir who was clearly in pain and trying his best to stay awake.

"Fara, I need the truth from you my Brother. Did you have that dream and not Father?" Boromir asked gently.

Faramir looked at Boromir and they could all see the uncertainly on his face. This wasn't a conversation that Faramir was prepared for nor did he expect to be having it in his current state. Faramir knew he could not outright lie to his brother though.

"I had the dream twice before I told Father." Faramir admitted with pain going through him on more than one level.

"But that was not the first dream you have had." Boromir stated as he could see the truth in Faramir's eyes.

"No it was not." Faramir admitted though it wasn't necessary.

"Why did you keep this from me Faramir? You are my brother and yet you kept this huge part of you from me. Just what else have you been keeping from me Faramir?" Boromir asked with anger edging his voice.

"Please Brother, try to understand." Faramir said with hurt in his voice.

"Understand what? That you kept this from me? That you did not trust me enough with this part of you? After taking care of you and being there for you for twenty-five years you kept this a secret. How am I supposed to understand that Faramir?" Boromir said with hurt and anger in his voice.

"By remembering who your Father is." Gandalf said in Faramir's defense.

Boromir looked over at Gandalf before Gandalf continued.

"Your Father is a man interested in greed and power. You are not a young boy anymore Boromir, you can hear the truth and have it not destroy you. Your Father knew the gift your Mother had and she knew the gift that your Brother possessed. She knew it was stronger than her own, quite possibly the strongest in history among the race of men. Your mother knew she was dying, it was why she came to see me that day in the library and brought Faramir with her. She needed me to meet him so I would gain interest in him and be there for when she could not be. Your Father knew the gift she possessed and he tried to use that to his advantage whenever he could. He did that to the woman he claimed to love. There is no telling what he would do to Faramir if he were to ever find out. It would not help the relationship and I told Faramir that when he was younger. I am the one that told your Brother to keep quiet about it from your Father unless absolutely necessary. He did not want to put you in a position where you may have to lie to your Father. He did not want that burden on you when you had others already. You do not get to be angry with him for keeping this. Not when he is in this condition." Gandalf said in a strong voice that Aragon and Faramir were able to hear the slight concern in him.

"Apparently, there has been a lot kept from me. A conversation we will be having once you are well enough to have it little Brother." Boromir said more calmly.

Faramir just gave a weak nod when there was a knock on the door. They saw that it was one of the scouts and Beregond went over to him. The scout whispered into Beregond's ear and Beregond gave a nod before the scout left.

"Lossarnach is still free of Orcs and none were spotted in the area." Beregond said as he turned back to face everyone.

"How often are you having this dream Lord Faramir?" Aragon asked calmly.

"I am not certain I can give an accurate time My King. I do not know how long I have been in that cell or how long in between the dreams." Faramir said.

"You were there for seven days. During your time in the cell, how many times did you see the dream?" Legolas asked gently as he knew what it felt like to be in a cell being tortured by Gondor guards.

"Four Prince Legolas."

"How do you know of him?" Boromir asked.

"He has been spoken of greatly in the Elvish books. A strong warrior and Prince of Mirkwood." Faramir explained.

"Please call me Legolas. You have now had that dream five times in the past eight days. Your dream is fast approaching."

"How many men do we have in the city?" Faramir asked Beregond.

"A hundred Rangers roughly My Lord." Beregond responded.

"I don't suppose you saw how many Orcs there were in your dream little Brother." Boromir said with a small smile a good sign for Faramir that his brother would be alright with this.

"Two hundred. They want the crops destroyed and they desire the tunnel. If they are able to navigate through and find the correct tunnel that will bring them within the city then more will come. Ready the men, we leave in an hour." Faramir said.

"We My Lord?" Beregond said.

"Bring me my affects Beregond." Faramir said as he began to push himself up into a sitting position. It was painful, but Faramir knew he needed to do this. He bit back the yelp of pain as he sat up and his ribs screamed at him.

"You are not going anywhere Faramir." Boromir said in a stern voice.

"My Lord, you are not well enough to be travelling, much less in a battle." Beregond said with concern.

"Child, you are injured and weak. You cannot be travelling and in battle." Gandalf said gently trying to get Faramir to see reason.

"I will go with the army to battle and you will stay here to rest." Boromir said.

"The army will not go with you Brother. They do not trust you in fear of your closeness to Father." Faramir said as he tried to get the pain under control.

"I am still a General to this army and they will have to follow my orders." Boromir said.

"They will not. Too much has changed and happened since you have been gone. They will not follow you, even under my order. They will not go without me and I will not leave the lands to burn and people to die. Bring me my affects and ready the horses Beregond. Tell the men we leave in an hour." Faramir said with complete acceptance to his voice.

"As you wish My Lord." Beregond said sadly as he headed out to do his duty.

"I am coming with you." Boromir said.

"You must stay Brother. You must speak with the Council and Father to get him to see his errors." Faramir said.

"I will not stay here while you go off to battle Brother." Boromir said with anger as he stood up and began to pace.

"You must stay here and work with the Council and Father. If these people do not get enough food and a home rebuilt they will go against the city. You need to correct the damage that Father and the Council has done. They will not listen to me, you must get them to listen to you." Faramir tried to reason with his brother.

"I will go with Lord Faramir and the army Boromir. As much as it pains you to stay you must for the sake of our people and our land." Aragon said.

"I will go as well." Legolas said.

"As will I." Gimli said.

"I am not one to stay behind in a fight." Eomer said.

"Boromir, I will stay here with you and try to add my Council for what little it may help. Your Uncle should arrive within the day or two to add his own Council. You are more needed here than out in battle." Gandalf said.

"You were able to get messengers sent?" Faramir asked with a slight surprise in his weakened voice.

"We were two days ago. He should be arriving here by tomorrow night." Boromir said.

"He has not been happy this year passed. I have seen him a handful of times and they were quick and kept hidden. He has been secretly making us weapons and suppling us with arrows. We were only able to meet under the cover of darkness four times in the year passed." Faramir said.

"Good I am glad he has been able to provide some help to you and the men. You were always his favorite." Boromir said with a smile.

"We will still need more men. We barely have two thousand." Faramir said.

"My King, King Theoden of Rotan, is sending word out and collecting men all over the East." Eomer said.

"We can send word out to the men here that have fled with their families. We may be able to get them to return, even if it is just the men and not the women and children." Boromir said.

Beregond returned into the room holding Faramir's clothing and his weapons. He placed them down on the wooden chest in the room as he spoke.

"The men are gathering and preparing to leave. If you do not require any assistance My Lord I will go and prepare myself and prepare your horse." Beregond said.

"Go and get yourself ready Beregond." Faramir said with a small smile of thanks.

Beregond headed out of the room and Faramir looked to his brother.

"Help me up Brother." Faramir said with pain in his voice.

"If I refuse will you stay in bed?" Boromir asked calmly.

"You already know the answer to that question Brother." Faramir said with tiredness to his voice.

"It was worth the try." Boromir said as he came over to Faramir and gently placed his arm around Faramir's waist.

Faramir with the help of Boromir stood up and he couldn't help the groan of pain at the movement. Faramir swayed slightly once he was standing, but Boromir was there to hold onto him so he did not fall over.

"This is madness you can barely stand. You are going to get yourself killed." Boromir said with worry clear in his voice.

"I will manage. I need to get ready." Faramir said with a shaky voice.

"Are you sure there is no other way to get the army to leave? They must see how injured you are." Boromir said.

"They will refuse to leave me here unprotected. I will not let our people die and our lands burn. If the Orcs get into the tunnels they will find their way into other cities in Gondor, including here. They must go and I must go with them." Faramir said as he pushed away with his brother and headed over to where his clothing was.

He had clean leggings on that Gandalf had put on Faramir when they were alone. All he needed to do was get the rest of his clothing on and his Ranger uniform. Faramir grabbed his tunic and Boromir came over to help Faramir get ready. Boromir was careful not to cause Faramir's injuries any more pain than he already was in. Faramir's body was trembling from exhaustion and pain. He knew this was dangerous for him to be going, but he also knew that not going would mean death would come to his people. Faramir wasn't going to do that. He had to go. It wouldn't be the first time he went when he was in pain, exhausted or starving. He could do it again for his men and for his people. Faramir was finally dressed except for his weapons. He would wait until Beregond returned when the men were ready. Faramir turned around and sat against the wooden chest to try and catch his breath.

"You owe me stories when I return Brother." Faramir said with a small smile to try and get his mind off from the pain.

"Why wait Little Brother. Come, return to bed and I will tell you all about this year passed." Boromir said with a smile.

Faramir couldn't help the smile at his brother.

"I thought I was the clever one."

"You are, but every once and again I am." Boromir said with a smile.

Faramir as going to make a comment but as he spoke he went very still and his eyes became distant. Boromir couldn't help the worry at the sight of his brother.

"Faramir, Brother." Boromir called to his brother, but Faramir didn't respond.

"It is alright Boromir. He is fine." Gandalf said as he came over to them.

"What is this?" Boromir asked with worry.

"He is having a vision." Gandalf calmly said.

"He can have them when he is awake?" Legolas asked shocked.

"He can, though it did not start until he was thirteen." Gandalf said.

"Only old Elf Lords can have visions while awake. Men have never been able to." Aragon said intrigued.

"No they have not. As I have said earlier Faramir is different and possesses a strong ability." Gandalf said.

Faramir took a shaky breath and he blinked his eyes and looked over as Gandalf spoke.

"It is alright Child. What did you see?" Gandalf asked gently.

"Lossarnach, it was burning. They will be there by nightfall."

"It is only but morning. We will make it in time." Aragon said trying to sound comforting.

"How far is it to Lossarnach?" Eomer asked.

"About an eight hour ride." Boromir answered.

"We must leave soon if we wish to get there with enough time to warn the people." Eomer said.

"The men are getting ready. We will be ready to leave soon." Faramir said.

"Though you should not be going." Boromir said still not happy about the situation.

"It is my duty. That is what we have always been taught, what the men in this army have been taught. Your duty to your city, the Steward. You are taught to fight with a sword and told it is for your own protection. For a man should know how to defend himself and his family. You are taught how to shoot an arrow to hunt and feed your family. No one tells you that what you hunt will be other men one day. That one day you will commit murder day in and day out. That once what was beauty would turn to a barren wasteland and ash. Rivers and ground turning red from the countless death of women and children. All we can do is continue to exist until we too are struck down." Faramir said with emptiness in his voice that had everyone concerned for his mental and emotional well-being.

"Brother." Boromir started with worry in his voice, but Gandalf cut him off.

"Child answer me this, from what you have read what is your opinion on Rivendell?"

"That is a place of true beauty. Within it's boarders the world is at peace. Healthy trees stand tall and strong. Clear rivers as blue as a rare gem and waterfalls just as beautiful as the sun. It is a true place of peace for those that are fortunate enough to cross into the sacred boarders. It is a true master piece." Faramir said and they could all see the light and warmth in his eyes at just the thought of Rivendell. "Why do you ask Mithrandir?"

"I was just checking." Gandalf said with a warm smile. "You know of Aragon. What did you dream Child?" Gandalf asked gently.

Gandalf knew how much Faramir hated his dreams. They never brought him anything good, it was always bad and it was usually always death. It took a toll on a small child and now after having these dreams most of his life it was hard to deal with after so many years.

"It begun two years ago. There was a great battle in a land clouded in darkness and fire. I saw him fighting his way through Orcs. He did not wear a crown, but he dressed as a King of Gondor. He was struck down and with his death his men fall too. It comes to me every now and again. Six months passed a new dream came to me. It was of the city. The white tree was in full bloom and there stood the King in a time of peace and victory. The dream changes between the two. Not even the Gods know the fate of this world."

"They rarely do. So much can change in an instant that it becomes too troubling to predict. It is good that the dream changes it means there is still hope and a chance for victory in this world." Gandalf said with a warm smile.

"Those are not your normal weapons Fara." Boromir said as he noticed the weapons sitting on the wooden chest. He went over to them and picked up the sword as Faramir spoke.

"My weapons were in my chambers and they were taken along with everything else. Those weapons were given to me from men that have died in battle." Faramir answered.

Boromir looked at the sword and he couldn't believe how damaged it was. It was rusted, dull and had cracks and chips in the blade.

"This sword is fair too damaged to be used in battle Brother. It is rusted and dull. The blade has chips and cracks in it. This sword could break at a moment's notice. Do you not have another?" Boromir asked.

"That is all the weapons that I have. All of the men have swords in that condition or slightly better. All of them are dull as the Blacksmiths are refusing to work without pay. We can sharpen the blades with rocks, but it takes a long time and our efforts are usually in vain."

Legolas picked up the bow and he looked at it as he spoke. "This bow is bent and the string has been tied together in different sections. Your arrows will not go straight or travel as far and they will not have the right amount of power. This bow is useless."

"That bow is the one that I have to use. It is not in the best condition, but it still works to protect my men and the people within Gondor My Lord."

"You cannot go out into battle with these weapons Faramir. You are already in no condition to be going, much less with weapons that are damaged." Boromir said.

"All of the men are weak, tired, sick and have damaged weapons Brother. It is all the more reason why you need to speak with Father and the Council to get them to see reason. We will not survive much longer with what we have." Faramir said.

"You are taking my sword and bow with you. I am not allowing you to leave with weapons that are that bad." Boromir said.

"You need your weapons in case of an attack. I have used those weapons for a year now. I will be fine."

"I have extra weapons in my chambers that I can use. I am not going to let you leave otherwise Faramir and you know it." Boromir said in a tone that Faramir knew he wasn't going to win. Faramir just gave a small nod to his brother as Beregond walked back into the room. He was carrying a cloak and he spoke once he was in the room.

"It is raining hard My Captain I have a cloak for you. We also have a hundred new arrows that are being given out to the men. There are twenty new ones for yourself My Captain."

"Give them to the youngest Beregond. I shall be fine with the arrows that I have." Faramir said as he took the cloak from Beregond.

"With all your respect My Captain, you are among those that are the youngest." Beregond said calmly.

"The men need them more than I do. Give them to the youngest. Are the horses ready?"

"I am going to get them right now if you are ready My Captain."

"I will be ready Beregond. Are the men ready?"

"They will be ready for when you are My Captain."

"Grab the horses."

"Yes My Captain. Your horses are also ready My Lords." Beregond said to the others before he headed out of the room.

Boromir removed his sword belt and went over to Faramir as he helped Faramir put it on he spoke.

"Why did you not take the new arrows?" Boromir asked gently.

"The men need them more than I do."

"You are their leader you need good weapons and proper arrows to help you stay alive so you can continue to lead them Lord Faramir." Eomer said.

"Why does being their leader make my life worth more than theirs? These men are sons, husbands, uncles and fathers. They have a family to return to, a family that will mourn their death. Why does my life value more than theirs? I am simply a Ranger that does not make me anymore special then them. What kind of leader would I be if I allowed the title to make my life count as more than theirs? Then the sake of their family? They deserve the best chance that I can give them of coming back to their family alive. Twenty arrows might not seem like much, but that is twenty more chances of one of my men surviving the battle. I will not take that from any of my men My Lord." Faramir answered honestly.

"Spoken like a true leader. Like a true King Lord Faramir." Aragon said with pride.

"I am no King. The title belongs to you My King." Faramir said humbly.

"I do not wear a crown. I am a Lord and Ranger just as yourself." Aragon said back calmly.

"A crown does not make a King, the King makes a crown. You are the King even without the title and crown My King." Faramir simply said.

"Well said Child. Now there is one very important thing we must discuss Faramir. The people must not know that Aragon is the King or it could cause a civil war as you know." Gandalf said.

"I will not release that information My Master." Faramir said.

"I know you won't Child, but sometimes things need to be said." Gandalf said with a smile.

Faramir put on the cloak and Boromir pinned it down for him before he helped Faramir get his bow and arrows on his back. Boromir knew that Beregond would be here within moments with the horses. Boromir put his hands gently on the side of Faramir's face and he spoke in a serious and loving voice.

"Listen to me Fara. You may not have a child and you may not feel like you have a father and are a son. But your life is just as important as each of those men's lives. You are my little brother and you belong to me. It will be me that mourns your death. It will be me that has to burry you. That is not a pain I can handle and live with. You belong to me Brother. That makes you important, that makes your life important. We promised each other years ago that when one of us left that we would do everything it took to return alive to the other. That we would deal with the aftermath when we were together again. No matter what you may have to do, you return to me alive and we will deal with the aftermath together. Do not leave me with the pain of no longer having a brother, no longer having you in my life. I love you my Brother."

"I love you my Brother and I will do everything in my power to return to you." Faramir said honestly with pain in his voice.

Boromir kissed Faramir's forehead before he pulled back slightly and put Faramir's hood up over his head to help protect him against the rain.

"Beregond will be here soon. I should go by the door and wait." Faramir said.

Boromir gave a nod and he moved back. Gandalf went over to Faramir and placed a supportive hand on his back as he guided him out of the room slowly so Faramir wouldn't hurt himself or aggravate his injuries. Boromir let out a shaky breath before he went to begin to follow when Aragon came up to him.

"I give you my word I will bring him back home alive Brother."

"I know you will Brother. I have taken care of him his whole life I do not like him going to battle fully healthy without me. He is no shape to be going and I hate knowing that I will not be there to keep him safe."

"I will keep him safe for you. I give you my word." Aragon said sincerely.

"Thank-you Brother." Boromir said sincerely back.

"We shall return." Legolas said with a small smile he hoped was comforting.

Boromir smiled back and they all headed out of the room and went over to the door to the House of Healing. Gandalf was standing there with Faramir who was leaning against the wall trying to just breathe. Boromir went over to his brother and put a comforting hand on his arm just to reassure himself that his brother was alive. They heard the sound of horses and when it stopped they moved out of the door and out into the pouring rain. Boromir helped Faramir walk over to his horse and Beregond was on his horse right beside Faramir's holding the reigns. Faramir went over to his horse and he put one hand on the handle of the saddle and the other in the foot hold. Beregond reached over Faramir's saddle and he held his hand out. Faramir took his free hand and grabbed Beregond's hand and with the help of Boromir, Faramir was able to pull himself up onto his horse and swing his other leg around. The pain on his face didn't go unnoticed by them. The rain was pouring down hard and Faramir was already soaked from just a few minutes out in this weather. Boromir was worried at how well Faramir's body would be able to handle the ride and the weather and that was before he even had to fight anyone.

Once Faramir was up on his horse Boromir spoke as Faramir looked down at him.

"Return to me Little Brother."

"I will return to you Brother."

Boromir stepped back so Faramir could turn his horse around and face the men. Beregond was beside him with Aragon, Legolas, Gimli and Eomer behind them. Gandalf stood over with Boromir as he too had to watch Faramir leaving for battle and not be able to go with him.

"The Steward may not care for the lives of our people, but we will not rest until our people are safe. We will not let the lands of Lossarnach be taken from us. We will protect the people from the evil of Mordor. We ride for Lossarnach, we ride for our people!" Faramir yelled to his men that were all on horses as well.

The men cheered and Faramir started the gallop out of Gondor with his men behind him. Beregond, Eomer, Legolas, Gimli and Aragon rode on either side of Faramir as they made their way across Gondor's lands to reach Lossarnach. They were all hoping that they would be able to reach the lands in time to save the lives of the farm people. They were also concerned with Faramir as each second on the horse jostled his injuries that were barely beginning to heal. Each and every step was painful for Faramir and he had yet to even start to the journey to Lossarnach and to battle.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

It had been seven hours since Faramir and the army had left for Lossarnach. He was in a great deal of pain and his body was trembling from it. They had traveled hard and fast to ensure they would be able to arrive to the farmlands and have the people evacuate to safety to minimize causalities. They had five hours before the enemy was due to be arriving according to Faramir's dreams. They had finally arrived at Lossarnach and they instantly could tell that their presence was not one that was welcomed. The workers in the fields looked exhausted. They were workers of all ages from as young as five up to eighty. People who should not be in the farm fields working, especially in this rain.

"These people should not be out in this weather. Nor working in the fields." Eomer said.

"They do not have a choice. The Steward has been making larger demands on them and the food supply. He has doubled, close to tripled, the amount that is to be coming into the city. Leaving these people with barely enough food to survive and constantly having to work night and day just to fulfill the order." Faramir said with chattering teeth.

As the hours ticked by Faramir's condition worsened. It was getting to be very dangerous for Faramir to be out in this weather, especially with how injured and weakened his body was. They were all fearing that he would get sick and develop a fever, something that could kill him at such a young age.

"But the food is not going to the soldiers or the people on the lower level. Where is all of this food going?" Legolas asked.

"The Steward is hoarding it for the top three levels. Sometimes should his mood strike him he will share portions of it with the people living on the seventh level. What is not used is thrown out into the garbage. The servants will often try and keep some hidden that is to be thrown away for their own families and themselves." Faramir answered.

"Why take so much food?" Gimli asked with his gruff voice.

"The Steward is all about power and what he has to show for it. It is just another way to divide the city. Show off what power and pleasure the upper levels have over the lower ones." Beregond answered.

"I have when the occasion allowed it, stole food out from the top level and given it to the people on the lower levels. It has gotten too risky to do recently. The Steward begun to notice food was going missing and increased his guards." Faramir said.

"All that food just to toss out." Gimli said with a shake of his head.

"He is no leader. No offense to your father Lord Faramir." Eomer said.

"I have no father." Faramir said sadly before he continued. "We must get these people out of the fields and in a safe place."

"Where do you suggest My Captain?" Beregond asked.

"What if we gathered them in the tunnel? This way should the orcs get passed us they will not die in their homes as they are destroyed. Should we fail they will also be able to flee faster through the tunnels." Faramir said.

"As you wish my Captain." Beregond said.

Faramir turned to his men and spoke as loudly as he could so they would all hear him over the storm.

"Get the villagers into the tunnel. We must get them all inside the tunnel before the enemy arrives. Have patience with them, we are not on the best of terms."

The men all began to go over to the fields that made up the land and speak to the villagers working in the fields.

"We must find Ethel. This will go smoother if we can speak with him." Faramir said.

"Who is Ethel?" Aragorn asked.

"He is the one that these people look to for guidance. A leader in this land. If we are able to get him on our side the people will listen to him and do as he instructs them." Faramir answered.

"Why do I have the feeling that will not be as easily done." Eomer said.

"Much hard feelings." Beregond said.

"Especially to the Steward. Even before the taxes were raised and the demand for food was increased. Ethel and the Steward have had many past arguments and disagreements." Faramir added.

"He likes you though My Captain. You were able to convince him to continue with the supply and harvest when he refused." Beregond said trying to sound comforting.

"That was also before the food demand was increased. Now he has children and old men and women working in the fields all so he can still feed his people. I have not lived up to my end of the agreement." Faramir said regretfully.

"Your end of the agreement was that one day things would turn for the better. You had no idea that the Steward would demand more and threaten them. You are trying to work towards a better for them, for all of our people. Do not hold this against yourself My Captain. You are far too smart to hold yourself accountable for other's foolish actions and decisions." Beregond said with strength in his voice.

"Your friend is right. There is only one person to blame for this disaster and that is the man sitting on his throne." Eomer said.

"We need to find this man. You need to rest and be inside a warm place Lord Faramir. You are at a great risk of getting sick." Legolas said as he could see that Faramir was getting worse the more he was outside in this horrible storm.

"He is normally at the main house." Faramir said as he pointed to a house up on a small hill.

They all took off for the house. They were hoping that Ethel would be in and that they would be able to get inside where Faramir could sit and warm up. At this point they had no idea how well he would even be able to handle the journey back, much less a battle with orcs. They had a good number of men with them, but still even if the odds were on their side they knew better than to be confident and foolish. Anything could happen in battle. And these Rangers had gone without proper food, water and weapons for the past year. They were not at full strength and in perfect fighting condition. Anything could happen at this point. They saw that some of the workers were not really trusting or listening to the other soldiers. Faramir couldn't blame them. They no longer had trust or faith in the army to protect them. They had been betrayed and hurt too many times by the Steward that they no longer trusted anyone outside of their own community. It was a miracle last time to get Ethel to agree to continue providing the city with food. Now Faramir had no idea how he was ever going to pull this off and be able to repair this damage.

They arrived at the house and they all got off their horses. Beregond helped Faramir to get off his horse. His whole body was stiff from sitting for so long, plus the cold weather only made his muscles even weaker. Once his feet touched the ground his legs gave out, but Beregond still had his hands on Faramir and was able to catch him before he collapsed to the ground. Aragorn and Legolas came over to Faramir as well to see if there was something they could do.

"You need rest and heat My Lord." Aragorn said as he took in Faramir's condition.

"I will be fine. Just stiff from the ride." Faramir said as he gently pushed off from Beregond and walked slowly towards the door.

Beregond and the others stood close by in case Faramir needed help. They didn't want to overcrowd him, but at the same time they didn't want him falling and they weren't close enough to catch him before he hit the ground. Once at the door Faramir gently knocked on it and after a moment it opened to reveal an older man in his fifties on the other side. He looked worn out and exhausted. His eyes were sunk in from not eating properly and from exhaustion. He had grey hair that was unkempt and his clothes were dirty and wrinkled. The one thing that was very clear though, was the hatred in his eyes at the sight of Faramir and the others.

"You dare have the nerve to show up here on my land?" Ethel said with venom dripping from his voice.

"Please Ethel, your people are at risk and in danger. I am not here to cause you problems or upset. I am merely here to help keep your people safe. Please hear me out." Faramir said with sincerity in his voice.

Ethel took a moment to look at Faramir. He could see how cold he was, his teeth were shattering and his lips were slightly blue. He looked horrible. There was bruising on his face that was even darker against his pale, cold skin. Ethel could tell that something as simple as standing was difficult for Faramir. Ethel didn't like the Steward and he didn't like Boromir for leaving Gondor the way that he did. However, he had never had a problem with Faramir. He always thought he was a good young man. Ethel knew it wasn't fair to hold the actions of his family against Faramir. Ethel moved away from the door as he spoke.

"Come inside before you collapse at my feet." Ethel said, but he still held the anger in his voice.

Faramir and the others walked into the small house and Faramir was thankful to be out of the rain, but it was no warmer insider than it was outside.

"Sit My Lord." Ethel said as he held his hand out to an empty wooden chair.

"My thanks." Faramir said as Beregond helped Faramir over to the chair and sat down in it.

"You said my people are in danger. From what? They are already in danger from dying of hunger, thirst, exhaustion and illness. What could they possibly be in danger of now?" Ethel said with hatred in his voice.

"There is a pack of two hundred Orcs on their way here. They wish to destroy the lands and use the tunnel to be able to access inside the other cities, including the White City. My Rangers are here trying to have your people agree to going into hiding while we fight the battle. As you know it would go a lot smoother and faster if they had your approval." Faramir answered.

"And how do you know that this pack of Orcs is on the way?" Ethel asked skeptically.

"We had a scout going around the regions of Gondor. The pack was spotted and it was reported back to myself. I would not be here disturbing your work and bringing forth unpleasant emotions should I not be sure. Your people are in danger. As difficult as it is for you, I need you to trust me on this matter and please have your people go into the tunnel to stay safe." Faramir said.

"My lack of trust is not with you young Captain, but to the man you answer to." Ethel said.

"I am aware of the bad blood between you and the Steward. I do not blame you for that. I am trying to do what is right by the people of these lands, for all of Gondor's regions. Things do not always go as we all wish it would." Faramir said apologetically.

"You apologise far too easily and quickly for them. They are not your mistakes or actions, yet you hold them on your shoulders and in your heart as if they were. Your father will bring these lands to nothing but ash before his time is over." Ethel said with a warning tone.

"My brother has returned and he is working with the Steward and the Council to try and repair what has been done. We are trying to prevent that outcome from happening. It is not one we wish to see." Faramir said.

"Your brother is no better than that father." Ethel said with hatred.

"Boromir is a good man. He fights hard for the people, to protect them and give them the best chance of life they can have. He has bled much and risked much for Gondor." Faramir said with strength in his voice.

"And yet he left when Gondor needed him the most."

"He did not wish to leave for this dangerous mission, but the Steward refused for me to take his place. He would not have left if he knew that this would happen to Gondor and It's people." Faramir said in his brother's defence without any hesitation.

Ethel looked at Faramir and could see the love in his eyes at his brother.

"You truly believe he would stand up to your father and go against him?" Ethel asked slightly skeptically.

"Instantly. He would go against the Steward if he needed to, to protect our people. It is not a decision any son should have to make, but he would without hesitation. He is a man that can be trusted. A man that would not have left his people if he believed in any part of his soul and heart that this would be the result. He would have defied the Steward if he did." Faramir said.

"And yet he is not here. You are clearly not well, you should be resting and not traveling in this weather. Why is your dear brother not here in your place then?" Ethel pointed out with distain.

"He wanted to be. But I convinced him to stay behind and deal with the Steward and the Council. My men are much like yourself, not trusting of him. They would not leave me in the city unprotected and I could not leave this land unprotected. So here we are. We are here to do battle and protect your people while he is back in the city doing everything he can to stop this madness. I am not well. This could very well kill me, assuming the battle does not take my life. I am pleading for your help in this. We do not have much time before they will be here. Please help me get your people within the tunnel where they will be kept safe." Faramir said and it was clear that he was just beyond exhausted and had no strength in him to fight Ethel on anything. He just wanted these people safe and this battle to be over so he could try and sleep. He just wanted sleep, undisturbed, peaceful sleep.

It was clear to everyone that Faramir just didn't have it in him today to try and be clever or manipulative with words. He couldn't do it today and none of them could blame him. He was barely hanging on and he was showing true and amazing strength with just being here.

"I will get them into the tunnels and keep them there until the land is safe once again. I hope your brother is the man you so strongly believe he is and is able to stop this madness before more innocent people die." Ethel said.

"So do I. Thank-you." Faramir said.

"Stay and rest here young Captain, I will speak with my people." Ethel said as he went and grabbed his cloak and put his hood up before he headed out of the small house.

Once the door closed Faramir couldn't help it anymore. He lowered his head and placed his arms up on his legs and placed his head in his hands. His head was pounding and tight. He thought if it was possible for his head to just explode it would by now. He was freezing and weak and he knew that it would only get worse the longer out of bed and in these wet clothes he went. It would also be a miracle if he got out of this battle alive. Beregond placed a hand on Faramir's back as he spoke.

"Are you alright My Captain?"

"Fine." Faramir lifted his head before he continued to speak. "We need to hide the horses and get the men spread out around the land in the forest once the people are all inside the tunnel."

"I'll have the horses start to be hidden within an empty farm house and have the men help the people get into the tunnel. Rest My Captain."

Beregond headed back out into the storm and left the others inside. Aragorn went into the small kitchen just off to the left and began to look for a mug so he could prepare some Athelas for Faramir that he had brought with him. He was the healer in the group and he was hoping that this would help keep a fever away from Faramir until they were able to get Faramir out of those wet clothes and back in bed. After five minutes Aragorn went over to Faramir with the mug in his hand. He was almost there when Faramir's face went blank and his eyes stared off to the distance.

"It is happening again." Legolas said.

Aragorn went around and bent down in front of Faramir with the warm mug still in his hands.

"Will that happen in battle?" Eomer asked slightly concerned for Faramir's safety.

"I am not certain. Men have never been able to possess this gift before, certainly not this strong." Aragorn said.

"The Elves that do possess this gift are within the older range and no longer do battle. We will need to watch him and make sure someone is with him. We cannot risk this happening while he is in the middle of battle. It could kill him." Legolas added.

"We will keep an eye on him and I will stay close to him. I promised Boromir that I would return with Faramir alive. That is a promise I have every intentions of keeping." Aragorn said.

Faramir took in a shaky breath and blinked his eyes. Aragorn gave Faramir a warm smile as he could see the fear and trouble within Faramir's eyes. It was clear to Aragorn that these visions was not a gift that Faramir was happy to have. Aragorn could understand why Faramir felt that way. These were not visions of good times and of happy times. They were visions of death and destruction. They weighed very heavily on Faramir's gentle soul and heart. Gandalf had said that Faramir was a kindred spirit and Aragorn could see it very clearly in the young man. Just as he could see that Faramir had a harder life than Boromir or any of them even knew about.

"It is alright Faramir. Here drink this. It will help prevent a fever for a little while and warm you up inside." Aragorn handed Faramir the mug and he didn't let go until he knew that Faramir had a good grip on it.

"Thank-you My King." Faramir said before he took a small sip of the warm water.

"Call me Aragorn my friend. Can you tell me what you saw?" Aragorn asked gently.

"The land was burning. The people were being struck down as they fled. It was the same before, it is always the same." Faramir said sadly and with a great hurt within his voice and eyes.

"Some gifts feel more like a curse. We will stop this vision from happening. We will save these people and this land. We have not come this far only to fail now." Aragorn said with strength in his voice that Faramir just couldn't bring himself to feel.

"Aragorn is right. This battle we will be able to handle. It is the battle inside those stone walls that will be the true challenge." Eomer said.

"I do not know what to do about that challenge I fear." Faramir said sadly and they could hear the self-resentment that he couldn't correct this problem. That he wasn't good enough in his mind to have his own father's love and respect.

"We will discover a way to correct the problems within the city Faramir. Have faith. Hope is not lost yet, even if it feels like it at times. We will prevail, we must." Aragorn said strongly with support in his voice.

Faramir looked at Aragorn and looked into his eyes for a moment. Aragorn didn't know what Faramir was doing or seeing for that matter, but he didn't look away. He was hoping that he could earn Faramir's trust or if nothing else show Faramir that yes he was a man of power, but he wasn't there to harm him. After a moment Faramir spoke.

"You will be a great King."

"I am not so sure of that." Aragorn admitted.

"A heart as pure and strong as yours can only bring good to this world. You are a good man, you will be a great King. I hope I am around to see that day." Faramir said confidently.

"I plan on making sure of it. You are a good man as well Faramir. Do not ever let poisonous words capture your mind. Trust the words of those that care for you." Aragorn said.

Faramir gave a small shy smile as he bowed his head. It was clear he was uncomfortable with words of kindness from someone other than Boromir. It was clear to the others in the room that Faramir had been through something in his life, something that begun as a small child. Aragorn stood back up to give Faramir some room as he knew that being that close to him for long would make him uncomfortable. They spent the next hour in the small house while they waited for Beregond to get everyone in order. After an hour Beregond came back into the room.

"All of the villagers are in the tunnel My Captain including Ethel. The men have the horses hidden within an old barn and have begun to spread out in the forest in our usual structure."

"Thank-you Beregond. We need to go into position as well. We should stay with two and two as a precaution." Faramir said.

"Of course." Beregond said.

"I will stay with you Faramir, if that is alright with you." Aragorn said not wanting to leave Faramir out of his site.

"Yes My Lord." Faramir answered, but they could tell he was a little unsure of how he felt about being alone with Aragorn.

Aragorn couldn't blame him, but he didn't want Faramir going around for the rest of their time together believing that Aragorn was someone he had to fear. Aragorn didn't want Faramir to fear him or hold back on what he felt or had to say because of that fear. Aragorn knew it was going to take some time before Faramir was comfortable being around Aragorn. Just like Aragorn knew the only way to make Faramir comfortable was to get him used to being around him.

"I will go with Beregond. These two seem to like working together." Eomer said as he looked at Legolas and Gimli with a smirk.

"He likes losing to me." Legolas said with a smile.

"I will never lose to an Elf." Gimli grumbled.

"That is not how the drinking game went as I recall." Eomer said with a smile.

"Never challenge an Elf to a drinking game. Or a game to see who can last longer with no sleep." Aragorn said with a smile.

"Elves have many talents as do men and dwarves. It is why we all make a good team." Legolas said humbly.

"That we do my dear friend." Aragorn said with a warm smile.

Faramir was amazed at the interaction within the group. Even though they were all from different places and different walks of life, they still all acted like they were family. They were friends, even Eomer, who had just joined their group was laughing and joking around with them. It was like they had known each other all their lives. It amazed and fascinated Faramir to see them interacting this way. They did not hold back or act worried to the level of standing that Aragorn and Legolas had. They were a King and a Prince, a soon to be King for Legolas. Yet they acted like they were just normal every day soldiers. Faramir didn't know how to do that. Even though he could see they were all good hearted, good men, he didn't know how to act like they were nothing more than common men at arms. He didn't know how to push down that timid and fear that filled him at the presence of anyone that held power. It had been even worse in the year passed being alone with the Steward and Council. Faramir was seriously starting to doubt his ability to ever be able to interact normally with anyone in a power position.

Faramir pushed up out of the chair and they could all tell he was in even more pain since sitting down and giving his body the chance to rest. They still had four hours roughly before the orcs would be here, four hours of being out in the still heavy storm. It was not going to go well for Faramir or his health. All they could do was hope that the tea he drank was enough to help him fight off a fever and illness.

"We should get into positions in case the enemy arrives sooner than we expect." Faramir said with his teeth still chattering.

"Hopefully that is the case and we can end this sooner. I am sure your brother is worried sick for you long by now." Beregond said.

"He always worries when he cannot see me. I hope he is making progress with the Steward and Council in my leave." Faramir said.

"I am sure he is My Captain. Your brother is not one for the word no." Beregond said with a small smile to try and ease Faramir's worries and concerns.

"No he is not. For the sake of our people I pray he does not." Faramir said with a heavy burden voice.

"He will succeed My Captain, he will." Beregond said showing confidence that he truly didn't have anymore. He just couldn't continue to let Faramir carry all of that burden on his shoulders.

Faramir gave a nod and it was clear to everyone that he wasn't believing it, but he wasn't going to spend time dwelling on it out loud. They were confident enough though to know that internally and mentally Faramir would be tearing himself apart over it. Over actions and decisions that he had no power in making. They were all starting to see the damage done to Faramir on more than just the physical level. The others were all very concerned at how Boromir would be reacting to the way Faramir is now. They could already see the anger in Boromir's eyes at the torture that Faramir had endured by his father's orders. There was no telling how he would react if he knew what other damage that his father had caused to Faramir.

They headed out of the house and they started to go their separate ways in their pairs. Faramir and Aragorn went over into the forest off to the right and took cover within the trees. They made sure that they had a good view all around them, but were well hidden. Faramir sat down so he was able to see the farmlands, but he wouldn't have to stand for the next few hours waiting for the orcs to arrive.

"Faramir, I would like to speak to you about your visions if I may." Aragorn said after a few minutes of silence.

"As you wish My King." Faramir said and Aragorn could tell he was nowhere near comfortable with the idea of speaking about his visions. Aragorn figured it was a mix between never talking about them and talking about them to Aragorn.

"Please call me Aragorn Faramir. I am just a man like yourself. I would like to speak to you about them, but not if you truly do not wish to. I do not want to hurt you in any way or make you feel uncomfortable. I know they are not pleasant and not something you are accustomed to speaking about outside of Gandalf." Aragorn said gently.

"It is not an easy conversation." Faramir said with a great sadness in his voice.

"I can imagine not. The woman I love is an Elf. She has often visited me in my dreams or awoken me from unconsciousness when needed. It is not the same, as my dreams are not filled with death or violence. I can understand the hurt behind them though. For me it is being away from the woman I love. Seeing her is a relief and a pain at the same time. I grew up around Elves and all of their uniqueness. My Adar is able to have visions as well, often much like yourself not good ones. I have seen the toll it takes on him. The same toll it takes on you. You do not have to speak to me of them should you not wish. I would never make you. Just know that I am here to listen should you decide you need to speak to someone about them. Someone that might understand." Aragorn said gently.

Faramir was quiet for a few minutes. He sat there looking out at the farmlands and just thinking. He didn't talk about his visions or what he felt from them. He always kept it to himself, just like he was taught to do by his father. He was taught to keep his emotions hidden. He was taught that real men don't have emotions. They don't have sympathy for people. They don't care too deeply. Faramir was never a man in his father's eyes, because he kept his humanity and emotions despite everything his father tried to do to get rid of them. Boromir always allowed him to be himself and to show his emotions. Boromir seemed protective of his emotions. Still Faramir had never told Boromir about his visions or being able to see into a man's heart. He was terrified to lose Boromir because of them. That fear made the visions even worse as Faramir was forced to keep them to himself. Forced to carry the burden on his shoulders. After all of these years the weight had become so heavy that some days Faramir felt like he couldn't move at all. Some days it was like he couldn't breathe.

"I am not a complaining man." Faramir said.

"Saying how you feel is not complaining. My Adar taught me that. I did not have my father in my life for long. He passed when I was only two. My mother took me to Rivendell where Lord Elrond took me in as a foster son. He renamed me Estel."

"Hope. You grew up in Rivendell; that must have been wonderful." Faramir said with warmth in his eyes at just the thought of having the chance to live there.

"It truly is a beautiful place. When this war is over you should take the time to visit it. I know Lord Elrond would not object. He is a great man and a great Adar. It was a joy to grow up in Rivendell. I had a happy childhood. I do not know what yours was like. I do not know how you feel about it. I do know how heavy the burden can be on one's shoulders with these visions. If you keep them to yourself it will destroy you. You need to tell someone Faramir. To talk about them with someone, even if it is not me. Just someone." Aragorn said.

"I do not know how. I tried growing up so many times to tell Boromir. I prepared myself for the worst reaction he could possibly have. If you are prepared it will not hurt as much. I practiced how to tell him. Yet every time the chance presented itself I could never get the words out. He was always so happy. He's ten years my elder. I do not remember a time when he was not in the army or training to be in the army. Any time we had together we always made sure it was filled with good memories. We always knew that one day he would be off fighting or protecting the lands. That he could be gone for months or not return at all. He wanted to make every moment we had together count. I could never get passed the fear of possibly losing him and those precious moments together. They were all I had. Now he knows that I have them and yet I still do not know how to tell him." Faramir said with hurt all throughout his voice and Aragorn could hear the fear within him as well.

"Your brother is a good man. He can be brute and tough, but that is merely on the battlefield. He has spoken about you before to me. I have seen Boromir smile and laugh, but I have never seen love in his eyes as he did when he spoke of you. There is nothing that you could tell him that would make him love you less. He would do anything for you. That is clear in his eyes. You did not see him when he found you in that cell. He did not leave your side for more than an hour during the time you were in the House of Healing. He has questions for you, you know this. You know he is just waiting until you are well enough to handle that conversation, but that conversation is coming. The best decision you can make is to tell him the truth and how you really feel Faramir. He will not turn his back on you."

"The Steward will demand loyalty from him. Who am I to put him in a position where he would have to choose between his brother and his father? What type of person would that make me?" Faramir asked with genuine confusion in his voice.

"It would not change the type of man that you are Faramir. The weight of that decision is not on your shoulders. The Steward made his bed a long time ago and eventually he will need to lie in it. The only difference between now and in time passed, is that Boromir did not know of it. Had he, this decision would have already been made. He will pick you over his father every time. His love for you is true and strong, that will win out over anything else in this world. You have so much faith in your brother Faramir, do not lose that where his love for you is concerned."

"You wished to ask a question about my visions My King." Faramir said and the clear change in topic was obvious. Aragorn could understand that Faramir needed the change and some time to think on things.

"Have you ever had a vision while in battle?"

"Not in the middle, but right before I have yes. I have been blessed by the Gods in that sense."

"Do the men not know? I know Beregond is aware."

"Beregond is. The other men may be aware of it. It is not something that has been discussed."

"I only needed to know in case it could happen in battle. I do not want to leave you in a vulnerable position Faramir."

"I will be fine My King. You need not worry about me." Faramir said trying to provide comfort to Aragorn.

"The worry will still be there Faramir. You are a good man. I am invested in seeing you healthy and happy once again. For I am sure you will be a great man. This world needs more great men within it." Aragorn said with a warm smile.

"Thank-you My King." Faramir said with a shy smile as he bowed his head.

Aragorn sat back and stopped talking. He knew that Faramir was in pain and he was at his limit for conversation. He needed some time to relax and to think. Aragorn knew that Faramir wasn't one to talk so much to someone he didn't know and he couldn't blame him for that. He clearly had been through a great deal in his life and he was not used to kind words from a stranger. That much was very clear. Aragorn was not one to shy away from a challenge. He would earn Faramir's trust and friendship even if it was at a snail's pace. He did not mind because it would be worth it. He would follow behind Faramir for a decade just like Legolas had done with him, because Faramir was a good man destined for greatness. And Aragorn wanted to be there to see it.

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Boromir and Gandalf headed up to the top level once Faramir and the army had set off. Boromir hated knowing that Faramir was out there injured and weak having to fight in a battle. He should have been in his room sleeping in his own bed so he could recover. If Boromir had it his way Faramir would not be leaving his warm and comfy bed until he was at full health once again. Something Boromir was going to be making sure happens once Faramir returns. Once they arrived up to the top level they both headed inside the Steward's house and through the halls until they reached the throne room. This was not something Boromir was looking forward to doing, but he knew he didn't have the choice in the matter. He had to make sure that the army and people had food and water like they needed. He had to do this so it would help take the stress off Faramir and the rest of the army.

They walked into the room and saw Denethor sitting down on his throne. He did not look happy to see Gandalf in the room at all.

"What is this Wizard doing in my home?" Denethor demanded.

"We need to speak to you and the Council regarding the current situation with the army and people within the Gondor." Boromir said in a controlled and professional voice. He was not happy with his father currently, but he knew the only way to even get anywhere with him right now would be to stay serious and professional.

"We do not need a Wizard here for that." Denethor said with a snarl.

"I have an invested interest in the result of this war." Gandalf said.

"I have no interest in standing around arguing this point. I have returned to the city. I have every right to fully understand how the city became in this much desperation. We have lost too many men within our army and too many villagers. Would you deny me that, a Captain to your army, the proper understanding of this situation?" Boromir said trying to get his father to agree to listen to him.

"I would never deny you that my son. Come, the Council should be in their room. I will explain everything to you that your pathetic, disappointing brother has destroyed." Denethor said as he stood up.

It took everything in Boromir not to comment or defend his brother. The only reason he didn't was because he knew that it would only push Denethor further and make him want to fight Boromir on every decision that needed to be made. If Boromir could keep himself in check he may be able to get his men and people the supplies they need. Boromir and Gandalf followed Denethor down the hallways until they reached the Council room. Denethor opened the door and they all walked in to see that the Council was in and sitting down at their conference table.

"Gentlemen, my son has returned to us. We have our proper General back. Bring all of the papers we have on the army and the city within the year passed." Denethor said.

One of the Councilmen got up and went over to grab the binder as another Councilman spoke.

"It is a gift from the Gods to have you back Boromir. This city and war need their true General."

"I need to see everything that has happened in the year passed. I have heard some disturbing whispers within the city and from the army." Boromir said.

"And what would those whispers be?" A third Councilman asked.

"That the people and army have no food, almost no weapons. They are being sent out on battles with too few men. The food supply had been cut off for a short time. The library and parks have been closed and workers were being forced to work for free and pay higher taxes." Boromir said as he took the binder from the Councilman.

"Villagers and men will always complain about something. It is not our fault during times of war that sacrifices must be made in order to achieve victory." Denethor said as he sat down.

"But victory cannot be made if the army is too rundown and not equipped to win. You wish for me to return to my position as General to this army do you not?" Boromir asked as he opened the binder.

"Of course we do my son. This is your army and all of this will be yours one day in my stead." Denethor said with a loving tone.

"Then you must grant me permission to make the necessary changes in order to achieve victory for our people and this world." Boromir said.

"I am sure we can come to an agreement. You will see though that Faramir is the reason behind all of our losses. He has been a disappointing General. He has already been stripped of his title and will be placed under a new Captain. He is merely a Ranger as of yesterday." Denethor said with distain in his voice.

"You are to blame everything on Faramir? Not yourselves?" Boromir said with anger in his voice.

"We are not the ones responsible for the losses that Gondor has suffered. He was the one in charge of the army and he got men killed by his failures again and again. He is lucky being stripped of his title and position is all that he is receiving. He should be hung in the middle of the court yard for all of the pain and suffering he has caused." Denethor said.

Boromir was seething with anger now and he could no longer hold it all in. he was not going to sit here and let these men blame everything on his brother. To strip him of his position and title for things that were not his fault. He earned that title. He destroy parts of his heart and soul to live up to their father's expectations and his demands. Boromir was not going to just sit back and let this happen.

"You are blaming Faramir for your actions." Boromir said.

"Our actions." A Councilman started.

"Do not speak when I am speaking." Boromir said in a deadly tone that had everyone shutting up. "He submitted request after request. I have already seen them. You cut down their food rations. You cut down the number of men he could take to battle. You cut down their water rations. You refused to pay the workers and as a result no swords or arrows were produced causing the army to use old arrows and broken swords to fight. You caused a thousand soldiers to leave to keep their family alive and not starving to death on the street. You caused a rift between the farmlands making them not produce food for you and in the middle of all of that. Faramir has done everything he could to keep his men going. To keep these people safe. He wouldn't have lost those battles or the land if you had not been so foolish and greedy. You want to hang someone for Gondor's losses then start with yourselves."

"You will not speak to me that way." Denethor snarled back.

"Then we have nothing to discuss. I will take the army and the people within Gondor and leave. We will go to lands that are able to provide for them and when Gondor is nothing but ash I will take the army and fight Mordor, but not until there is nothing left of here. You all can burn with your greed and stupidity." Boromir said as he stood up and turned to leave with Gandalf right at his side.

"You would betray me like this?" Denethor yelled.

"You betrayed me the second you placed my brother in those cells to be tortured. You want me to stay then you will grant me full power to do what I need to ensure the land, our people and victory in this war. Otherwise I will go to a King that will grant me that and you will be left with nothing." Boromir said as he turned slightly to face his father.

"Why so much hostility my son? You have been gone for a year. You are tired and upset at the condition your home is in upon your return. I cannot blame you for that. We do not need the threats or the hostility. We can come to an agreement that works best for everyone. Sit my son and let us speak about this calmly." Denethor said trying to get Boromir to stay as he was his prized trophy.

Boromir looked over at Gandalf and with a small encouraging nod Boromir headed back over to the table with Gandalf and sat down.

"I have sent word for Uncle to come down and speak with the Council. It has been brought to my attention that he has been forbidden to help in this war or to leave his city." Boromir said.

"He was making matters worse and not better." A Councilman said.

"Nevertheless we will need his support and men in this war to succeed. He should arrive within two days' time. What is to be done regarding the food supply situation?" Boromir asked.

"We have been giving them all the food we have been able to acquire. The farmlands have been having a harder time with a harvest." A Councilman answered.

"Why the problems?" Gandalf asked.

"Poor harvest happens." Denethor said with a dismissive shrug.

"Not that often. From what I have read you were demanding too much and refusing to pay them for any of the food. Faramir had to go and speak with them in order for them to continue. Where is the food going that is coming into the city?" Boromir asked.

"To the upper levels. They are the ones that are important to the city and are needed for the city to continue to operate. They have priority." A Councilman answered.

"The soldiers are the ones that defend these people. They should be the top priority and then the women and children after them. It has always been that way. It is not something we can continue to do. Our people and soldiers are starving to death while noblemen are throwing out food they cannot eat. This must change in order for us to stand a chance at victory." Boromir said.

"You are talking about putting the noblemen out, placing them on the same level as the peasants. We risk upsetting them." A Councilman said.

"You risk death to your people if you do not. This is non-negotiable. None of my demands are." Boromir said with a deadly tone.

"Very well, for now. We will re-evaluate the distribution of food and water." Denethor said clearly not too happy, but not willing to cause a fight over something this small in his mind.

"The homes on the first two levels need to be rebuilt. I want to send some of the army out once they return to the outer regions to eliminate the Orcs so we are able to rebuild the homes." Boromir said.

"When the army returns? And where would they be without my knowledge or permission?" Denethor said in a deadly tone.

"They got word that Lossarnach was going to be attacked by Orcs. Captain Faramir took the army and a few of our companions to defend the farmlands." Gandalf answered so Boromir would not have to lie about how Faramir knew there would be orcs in the land.

"And there was no time to inform me of this? Are there any of the army left in the city to defend it?" Denethor asked with anger.

"I told Faramir to take everyone so they would be successful. I was aware of his leaving and of the battle. If there is a problem with that then your problem is with me Father and not Faramir. He was operating under my orders. I thought it best to protect the farmlands than have them destroyed and our food supply completely gone." Boromir said.

"He was operating under your order? And he would confirm that?" Denethor said clearly believing that Faramir would never lie to him.

"Of course. You know yourself Father that Faramir is not one for lies. He never has been. His heart is too good and pure for deception." Boromir said with a calm voice.

"A great weakness of his that I do not need be reminded of. When are they due to return, as the city should not be left unguarded." Denethor said clearly not pleased with the situation, but not willing to challenge Boromir's decision to have everyone leave.

"Within a day should all go well. They were simply going there to do battle and then returning." Boromir answered.

"How many orcs were spotted?" A Councilman asked.

"Two hundred or so." Boromir answered.

"And for that you authorized for the entire army to leave and go to battle? Only forty men at most should have been sent." The same Councilman said disgusted that they lost their whole army to fight just two hundred orcs.

"And normally that would be correct. However, when the men are all half-starved and they are reusing arrows from the dead, their swords are cracked and chipped that they will shatter at a moment's notice. I saw it best to send everyone to ensure that they will all return. You cannot win a war, one of this magnitude, when your soldiers are dying from lack of food and water, from lack of proper weapons. The relationship between the top levels and the bottom levels must be repaired if we wish to succeed in this war at all." Boromir said.

"And that will not be an easy task based on the hostility that is in the air." Gandalf said.

"When I want the opinion of a Wizard I will give him one. The people on the lower level are no concern to me. They will do as their Steward demands of them or they will no longer be here." Denethor said with anger.

"If they all leave Father, then we will not have anyone to make weapons or tend to the horses. We need the villagers on our side in this war. They do not wish to have to pay higher taxes on top of not receiving pay for their long hours working. It is not right nor fair. There must be a change in order for us to succeed." Boromir said.

"I'll consider. Now move on." Denethor said and both Boromir and Gandalf knew that they hadn't won that round. The problem was they had a lot more rounds to go and there was no end in sight.

This was going to take more than just one Council meeting. This was going to have to happen again once their uncle arrived and the others had returned. Boromir decided to focus on the food issue first as that was the one that was going to get the most people killed. After that he would work on the other issues once the others arrived to back him up. Still it was going to be a long day, one filled with worry at Faramir's fate in battle.


	6. Follow Me- Update

Hello there!

I have begun a collection of new books for all ages from children's picture books to adult series that are being published online. You can connect with me and find out more information through my social media pages. I am working on finishing my novel called Satanic Inferno. It will be published through Kobo on March 1st, 2017. Check out my Facebook page for more information and a 10% discount code for the first few days of the release.

You have all followed me on Fanfiction and I am hoping you will continue to follow me now that I have transitioned into writing and publishing my own novels. But fear not I am still going to be working on Fanfiction and finishing all of my stories. I'm not going anywhere in that sense. All support would be greatly appreciated.

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